Using &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups

&brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups lets you conveniently manage all your Internet communications from one place. You can set up and maintain multiple business and personal mail accounts and Internet newsgroups, all from one window — the Mail & Newsgroups window.

To start using &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups:

• Click the Mail & Newsgroups icon in the lower-left corner of the &brandShortName; browser window.

	Mail & Newsgroups icon

Getting Started with &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups

Using the Mail Account Setup Wizard

To set up a mail, newsgroup or blogs & news feeds account, first open the Window menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups. If you haven't already set up an account, the Account Wizard appears automatically, enabling you to set up an account.

The Account Wizard guides you through the process of creating a new account. If you don't know a setting, click Cancel and ask your Internet service provider (ISP) or help desk.

If an account already exists, the Account Wizard doesn't appear automatically when the Mail window opens. Instead, after opening the Mail window, open the File menu and choose New, then Account. For more details, see Setting Up Additional Mail, News & Blogs & News Feeds Accounts.

Setting Up Mail Accounts with an ISP or Email Provider

Before you set up a mail account, your ISP or email provider should give you the following information:

• your user name
• your email address
• the incoming and outgoing mail server names
• the incoming server type (IMAP or POP)

Before you set up a newsgroup account, your ISP or email provider should give you the following information:

• your email address
• newsgroup server name
• account name

To set up a new mail, newsgroup or blogs & news feeds account, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Edit menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box.
2. Click Add Account to start the Account Wizard.

   The information requested by the Account Wizard depends on the type of new account you specify in its first window. The boldface headings that follow correspond to the windows you'll see when you're setting up an ISP or email provider account.

3. New Account Setup: Choose the type of account you want to set up, then click the right arrow.
4. Identity: Enter the name and email address appropriate for this account, then click the right arrow. This window is not available for the Blogs & News Feeds account type.
5. Server Information: This window is not available for for the Blogs & News Feeds account type.
   • Indicate whether you want a POP account or an IMAP account. Not all service providers can support both options. For more information, see Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings - Server Settings.
   • Enter the name of your incoming mail server.
   • If you want this account to be a part of the Local Folders Global Inbox account, check the Use Global Inbox box. Mail for this account will then be stored in your Local Folders. Otherwise, if the checkbox is unchecked, mail will be stored in its own directory.
   • Enter the name of your outgoing mail server (SMTP).

     Note: You need to specify only one outgoing mail server (SMTP), even if you have several mail accounts. The name of your SMTP host may not have been explicitly listed in the account setup information provided to you. For example, your SMTP host may be the same as your POP or IMAP host. If in doubt, contact your ISP or system administrator.

   • Click the right arrow to continue.
6. User Names: Enter the incoming and outgoing user names provided by your ISP or email provider, then click the right arrow. This window is not available for the Blogs & News Feeds account type.
7. Account Name: Enter whatever name you want to use to refer to this account, then click the right arrow.
8. Congratulations! Verify that the information you entered is correct. If necessary, verify the information you entered with your ISP or system administrator. When you are sure that it's correct, click Finish to set up your account.
9. You see your new account listed in the left side of the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box. Click OK to start using your new account.

You are now ready to get messages from your account. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups will prompt you for your password when you retrieve mail for the first time every session. For detailed instructions on how to retrieve mail, see Getting New Messages.

[Return to beginning of section]

Setting Up Additional Mail and News Accounts

You use the Account Settings dialog box to add a new account or to change information for an existing account, including:

• mail and newsgroup server settings (for example, message deletion and download preferences)
• storage settings for message copies and folders
• your reply-to address, organization name, and signature

To add a new account or change settings for an existing account, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Edit menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box. You can perform these tasks:
   • Add Account: Click this button to set up a new mail, news or blogs & news feeds account. Be sure to type the account information exactly as it is given to you. Move through the screens with the arrows, or click Cancel to stop account creation.
   • Set as Default: Select an account, then click this button to make the selected account appear at the top of your list of accounts in the Mail Window. The change takes effect the next time you open Mail & Newsgroups.

     The default account is the one that you want to log into and (for IMAP accounts only) automatically check for new messages when you start Mail & Newsgroups. (For POP accounts, you must always click the Get Msg button to get new messages.)

     Note: You can't set a blogs & news feeds account as default.

   • Remove Account: Select an account, then click this button to remove it completely from your Mail window.
   • Outgoing Server (SMTP): Click this (at the bottom of the list of accounts) to modify information about the outgoing mail server. See Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings - Outgoing Server (SMTP) for more information.
2. Click headings under any account's name and modify the corresponding settings in the panel on the right.
3. Click OK to save your changes.

[Return to beginning of section]

Changing the Settings for an Account

To view or change information for an existing mail or newsgroup account, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Edit menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box.
2. Click the account name in the left-hand side of the Account Settings dialog box. You see information about the account, such as your email address and signature, in the right side of the dialog box.
3. Click any of these items beneath the name of an account to see the corresponding settings:
   • Server Settings: The settings available depend on the type of server (IMAP, POP, or newsgroup server). For more information, see Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings - Server Settings.

     Important: If you need to change the server type (for example, from POP to IMAP) you must first remove the existing account. Next, you must exit &brandShortName; and restart it. You can then reopen the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box and recreate an account with the new server type by clicking Add Account.

   • Copies & Folders: These settings determine whether to send automatic messages (blind carbon copies) and where you want to store copies of outgoing messages, message drafts, and message templates. For more information, see Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings - Copies & Folders.
   • Composition & Addressing: These settings allow you to choose your default format and quoting behavior when composing a message. You can also override the global directory server settings specified for all address books in the Preferences dialog box. For more information, see Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings - Composition & Addressing.
   • Synchronization & Storage (IMAP and News accounts only): These settings apply when you are working offline (disconnected from the Internet) or need to save download time and conserve disk space. For more information, see Synchronization & Storage Settings (IMAP) or Synchronization & Storage Settings (News).
   • Disk Space (POP and blogs & news feeds accounts only): This setting helps you manage the amount of disk space that downloaded messages take up on your hard disk. For more information, see Disk Space Settings (POP) or Disk Space Settings (Blogs).
   • Security: These settings determine which certificates are used to digitally sign and encrypt mail messages that you send. Digital signatures allow you to identify yourself reliably to others in mail messages that you send. Encryption helps ensure that your messages remain private while they are in transit over the Internet. For more information, see Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings - Security.
4. Click OK to save your changes.

[Return to beginning of section]

Reading Messages

Getting New Messages

For an IMAP account, you can retrieve new messages automatically and display them in the Inbox by opening Mail & Newsgroups and selecting the Inbox for the IMAP account.

For a POP account, you must select the Inbox and click Get Msgs to retrieve your messages. By default, messages from your POP account are downloaded in full and deleted from the POP server when you retrieve them. You can change your POP server settings to retrieve just the headers and/or store a copy of messages on the server in addition to downloading them to your computer.

For news accounts, expanding the account newsgroups list will automatically check for new items, as it will by just selecting one of the newsgroups. While reading a newsgroup, you can force checking for new items by clicking Get Msgs.

For blogs & feeds accounts, the first time you expand the account, it will be checked for new items. Besides that, you can force checking for new items at any time by clicking Get Msgs.

You can also set up Mail & Newsgroups to get new messages at startup and to check for new messages at timed intervals.

	Mail & Newsgroups icon

The Mail & Newsgroups icon on the status bar displays a green arrow to notify you when new messages have arrived.

	New mail notification

To set up a mail account to automatically check for new messages, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Edit menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box.
2. If you have multiple accounts, select an account and click the Server Settings category for that account.
3. Select one or both of the following options in the Server Settings section:
   • Check for new mail at startup: Select this checkbox if you want to check this account automatically for new messages whenever you start Mail & Newsgroups. For POP accounts, Mail & Newsgroups checks for new mail, but doesn't download new messages until you click Get Msgs or unless you choose Automatically download any new messages.
   • Check for new messages every [__] minutes: Select this checkbox if you want to specify the number of minutes between mail checks. You can also check for new messages at any time by clicking Get Msgs in the Mail window.
4. Click OK. Your settings take effect the next time you start &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups.

To set up &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups to play a sound or display an alert when new mail arrives, see Mail & Newsgroups Preferences - Notifications.

You can always retrieve messages manually at any time. To get new messages for the selected account or newsgroup, do one of the following:

• Click Get Msgs on the Mail toolbar.
• Open the File menu (in the Mail window) and choose Get New Messages.

To get new messages for all your mail accounts, begin from the Mail window:

1. Click the triangle on the Get Msgs button in the Mail toolbar.
2. Choose Get All New Messages. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups retrieves new messages for all your mail accounts.

   If you are not currently logged into one of your mail accounts, Mail & Newsgroups first prompts you to enter your user name and password before retrieving new messages for that account. (If you have already stored your user name and password using the Password Manager, Mail & Newsgroups doesn't prompt you for this information.)

Note: You can also open the File menu (in the Mail window) and choose Get New Messages for.

To get new messages for a specific mail account, begin from the Mail window:

1. Click the triangle on the Get Msgs button on the Mail toolbar.
2. Choose the account for which you want to retrieve mail.

Note: Mail & Newsgroups prompts you for your password the first time you retrieve messages for an account. You can choose to have Mail & Newsgroups store your password in the Password Manager at that time.

Password Manager can save all your user names and passwords on your own computer and enter them for you automatically. For more information, see Using the Password Manager.

[Return to beginning of section]

Choosing How You View the Mail Window

You can customize the layout of the Mail window (the window you see when you choose Mail & Newsgroups from the Window menu):

• Open the View menu and choose Show/Hide to show or hide the Mail toolbar, search bar, or the status bar.
• Open the View menu and choose Layout to select the type of three-pane window layout to use.
• Expand and collapse any pane to switch between a three-pane or two-pane view.

[Return to beginning of section]

Sorting and Threading Messages

To sort messages by categories such as subject, sender, date, or priority, begin from the Mail window:

• Click the appropriate column heading in the message list window. Or, open the View menu, choose Sort by, and then select the column you want to sort by.

To reorder column headings, begin from the Mail window:

• Click and drag a column heading to the left or right to reposition the column.

To change which columns are displayed, begin from the Mail window:

• Click the Show/Hide Columns icon and select the column to be added/removed from the list.

To group messages by threading (subject), so each message is grouped with all its responses:

• Click the thread button to the left of the Subject, Sender, and Date column headings. Or, open the View menu, choose Sort by, and then select Threaded.

	Thread button

Tip: The thread button automatically sorts the threads by the age of their parent messages. If you want to use another sort criterion for the threads, open the View menu and select the desired option from the Sort by submenu.

Tip: Select Preserve threading when sorting messages in the Mail & Newsgroups Preferences if you want &brandShortName; to preserve the threaded message grouping when sorting messages with column header clicks. The thread button just toggles between threaded and unthreaded message grouping in this mode. If Preserve threading when sorting messages is not selected, &brandShortName; automatically displays the messages unthreaded when you sort them by clicking on a column header.

Tip: To help you identify unread messages in a collapsed thread where you've read the parent message, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups underlines the parent message.

[Return to beginning of section]

Saving and Printing Messages

To save a mail message as a plain-text, HTML, or Outlook Express file:

1. In the Mail window, select the message.
2. Open the File menu and choose Save As, and then choose File.
3. For Save as type, choose a file type (HTML, Text, or Mail file). Choose Mail file if you want to save the message so it can be opened by Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express.
4. Change the filename's extension to end in .html, .txt, or .eml, depending on the file type you chose in step 3.
5. Choose a destination for the file and click Save.

To print a selected message:

• Click Print.

[Return to beginning of section]

Controlling Images, Scripts, and Plugins

By default, images and other content, that is hosted remotely, will not display in messages you receive, except from senders in your address books whom you have allowed. To change these settings:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences.
2. Under the Mail & Newsgroups category, click Message Display. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Mail & Newsgroups to expand the list.)
3. Uncheck Block images and other content from remote sources.
4. Click OK to have your change take effect.

Note: See Allow remote images in HTML mail in Creating a New Address Book Card for details of how to change which senders can show remote content.

By default, plugins are not enabled for mail messages you receive. To change this setting:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences.
2. Under the Advanced category, click Scripts & Plugins. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Advanced to expand the list.)
   • Under Enable Plugins for, check Mail & Newsgroups to enable plugins.
3. Click OK to have your changes take effect.

[Return to beginning of section]

Sending Messages

Composing Mail and Newsgroup Messages

You can address, compose, reply to, or send a new message by doing one of the following:

• In any &brandShortName; window, open the File menu and choose New, then Message.
• Click Compose on the Mail toolbar.
• While displaying a message, click Reply, Forward, or Reply All on the Mail toolbar.
• From the Address Book window, select an address and click Compose on the Address Book.

Tip: Use the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings - Composition & Addressing dialog box to specify the HTML text editor to use for composing messages sent from this account. (You can specify a different editor for each of your accounts.) See Changing the Settings for an Account for more information.

Note: It is generally not possible to compose messages for them to be published in blogs & news feeds accounts. If you want to publish posts in a blog (and you have the appropiate rights to do it), you will need to use the mechanisms provided by the specific blog system. In some cases, this can even include sending a mail message to a specific address.

Composing messages in HTML format allows you to use different fonts, text styles (such as bold or italic) and text colors, tables, numbered or bulleted lists, and pictures in your messages. However, some recipients may only be able to read messages composed in plain text format. If you want to use the plain-text editor occasionally, you can hold down the Shift key while clicking the Compose or the Reply button to use the plain-text editor on an as-needed basis.

[Return to beginning of section]

Using the Message Composition Window

Use the Compose window to address, compose, and send mail and newsgroup messages. First specify whether you want to compose messages in plain text or HTML by default in the Composition & Addressing Preferences panel (open the Edit menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings).

To view the Compose window, click the Compose button on the Mail toolbar.

The Compose window contains the following:

• Mail Toolbar

  You can click the following buttons:

  • Send: To send a completed message.
  • Address: To search for names in your address books.
  • Attach: To attach a file to a message. See Using Attachments for more information.
  • Spell: To check the spelling of your message text.
  • Security: To display information about whether your message will be sent encrypted or digitally signed (or both).
  • Save: To save the message as a draft.
• Addressing area: Where you enter the email addresses of recipients.
• Attachments area: When you attach files to a message (by clicking in this area or by clicking the Attach button), the filenames will be listed in the Attachments area to the right of the Addressing area.
• Message body area: Where you type the contents of your message.

If you've chosen to compose messages using the HTML editor, you see an additional toolbar with text formatting buttons similar to those in &brandShortName; Composer.

For help using the HTML editor, see Formatting Your Web Pages.

[Return to beginning of section]

Addressing a Message

To address a mail message:

1. Type the name in the addressing area.

   If you have address autocompletion enabled (it's enabled by default), type the first few letters of the recipient's name and wait for Mail & Newsgroups to complete the address. (Or you can type part of the name and immediately press ReturnEnter to have Mail & Newsgroups try to complete the address.)

2. If multiple addresses are displayed, select an address and press ReturnEnter.

   Note: Use a comma to separate multiple addresses on the same line. Do not use a comma to separate first or last names. For example, multiple entries might be:

   user1@netscape.net,user2@netscape.net

3. If you want this message to be sent from a different account, click the From field to select the account you want. See Changing the Account From Which a Message is Sent for more information.
4. If necessary, click To to choose a different recipient type:
   • To: For primary recipients of your message.
   • Cc: For secondary recipients (carbon copy).
   • Bcc: For secondary recipients not identified to the other recipients, including those in the cc list (blind carbon copy).
   • Reply-To: For recipients to reply to a different email address other than the one the message is sent from.
   • Newsgroup: For posting to a newsgroup.
   • Followup-To: For redirecting a newsgroup posting, so that subsequent replies go directly to the redirected newsgroup instead of the original newsgroup.

Tip: You can quickly address a message by clicking the email address contained in a message you're reading, and then selecting Compose Mail To from the pop-up menu.

Changing the Account From Which a Message is Sent

If you have multiple mail accounts, the account listed in the From field is based on the account (or server) you selected when you choose to create a new message. However, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups also allows you to change the account a message is sent from while you're composing a message. Click the From field to view a list of your accounts and then select the account you want. A copy of the message is saved in the Sent folder of the account where you sent the message from.

About Address Autocompletion

Address autocompletion allows you to address mail easily from the Compose window without having to search for names or type complete names. Mail & Newsgroups automatically checks your address books and an LDAP directory server (if available) and completes the name if it finds a unique match. It also prevents mistakes by showing all possible choices with additional information if it finds multiple matches. Address autocompletion is enabled by default.

If you don't want to use an address that Mail & Newsgroups provides, press Backspace or Delete to remove characters and then enter an alternate address.

To disable address autocompletion:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences.
2. Under the Mail & Newsgroups category, click Addressing. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Mail & Newsgroups to expand the list).
3. In the Address Autocompletion section, deselect Local Address Books and Directory Server.
4. Click OK.

[Return to beginning of section]

Selecting Message Sending Options

While you're composing a message, you can select these additional message sending options from the Options menu:

• Select Addresses: The Select Addresses option lets you choose the recipient's email address from your Address Books or a remote directory. To look up an address in an address book or directory, enter the first few letters of the recipient's first or last name to start the search. Select an address and then click To:, Cc:, or Bcc: to address your message.
• Check Spelling: Checks the spelling of the message text before you send it. You can also click Spell.
• Spellcheck As You Type: Choose this option to have the spelling of the message text checked as you type.
• Quote Message: Choose this option to have the selection of the message text shown as quoted text.
• Return Receipt: Choose this option to request a confirmation message when the recipient displays (opens) the message. Keep in mind that the recipient may choose not to send you a return receipt. This option lets you enable or disable return receipt requests on a per-message basis. To automatically request return receipts for all messages you send, use the return receipts preferences. See Mail & Newsgroups Preferences - Return Receipts for more information.
• Format: Send the message as plain text, or HTML (formatted), or both. If you choose Auto-Detect, Mail & Newsgroups prompts you for the format to use if it's unknown whether the recipient's mail program can display an HTML message. The format you choose here overrides the send format you specified using the Preferences command on the &brandShortName; Edit menu.
• Priority: Choose a priority to indicate whether the message has lowest, low, normal, high, or highest priority.
• Character Encoding: Choose a character encoding used for this message.
• Send a Copy To: Choose this if you want to file an additional copy of the sent message in a different folder than your default Sent folder. Then select the folder you want.
• Security: Choose this to change the default security options for this message.

An additional message formatting option is available from the Edit menu:

• Rewrap: If you are composing a message using the plain-text editor, you can use the Rewrap command to rewrap long lines of quoted text to fit the Compose window. This command rewraps selected quoted text to the number of characters specified by the Composition preferences. This command is primarily useful when you are replying to a message where the original message is quoted in your reply, and the original message contains long lines.

  You use the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings command on the Edit menu to specify that you want to use the plain-text editor for composing messages. Select the Composition & Addressing panel of the account and uncheck Compose messages in HTML format to use the plain-text editor for all messages. If you only want to use the plain-text editor occasionally, you can hold down the Shift key while clicking the Compose or the Reply button to use the plain-text editor on an as-needed basis.

[Return to beginning of section]

Replying to a Message

To reply to a mail message:

• Select the message.
• Click Reply to respond to the sender alone.
• Click Reply All to respond to all addressees in the message.

To include the original message each time you reply to any message, and to specify how to place the original message in the reply:

1. Open the Edit menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box.
2. If you have multiple accounts, select an account and click the Composition & Addressing category for that account.
3. Select Automatically quote the original message when replying.
4. Specify where in the message to place your reply. Start my reply below the quote is the default.
5. If you have decided to attach a signature to every outgoing message and selected to start your reply above the quote here, you can additionally configure where your signature is placed:
   • Select below the quote (recommended) to place your signature at the very end of the message below the quoted text.
   • Select below my reply (above the quote) to place your signature between your reply and the quoted text.

   Note: If you have created a signature, you can optionally omit it when replying to a message.

6. Click OK.

[Return to beginning of section]

Forwarding a Message

When you forward a message, you can specify how its contents are included in the new message: inline (in the body of the message), or as an attachment.

To forward a message:

1. Select the message and click Forward.
2. Type the name or email address of the recipient.
3. Click Send.

To set the default for forwarding messages:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences.
2. Under the Mail & Newsgroups category, click Composition. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Mail & Newsgroups to expand the list.)
3. For forwarding messages, choose Inline (in the message body) or As Attachment.

   Note: If you have created a signature and forward inline, its placement depends on the respective reply setting. You can optionally omit the signature when forwarding a message.

4. Click OK.

Tip: To override the default for forwarding a message, select the message, open the Message menu, and choose Forward As, then choose Inline or Attachment.

[Return to beginning of section]

Confirming That Your Message Was Opened

You can use return receipts to notify you when a recipient has displayed (opened) your message. The recipient must be using a mail program that supports the Message Disposition Notification (MDN) standard. Keep in mind that the recipient may choose not to send you a return receipt, even if you've requested one. Messages you send to a newsgroup address will not include a return receipt request, since news servers don't support this feature.

To request return receipts for all messages you send, you can use the global Return Receipt preferences to specify how to manage requests you receive for return receipts. You can override these global preferences for individual accounts.

To request a return receipt on a per-message basis:

• From a Mail Compose window, open the Options menu, and choose Return Receipt.

To automatically request return receipts when sending messages from each of your mail accounts:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences.
2. Under the Mail & Newsgroups category, click Return Receipts. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Mail & Newsgroups to expand the list.)
3. Select When sending messages, always request a return receipt.
4. Click OK.

For more information on setting return receipt preferences, see Mail & Newsgroups Preferences - Return Receipts.

[Return to beginning of section]

Saving and Editing a Message Draft

To save a mail message as a draft so you can complete it later:

• In the Compose window, click Save, or open the File menu and choose Save as Draft. By default, the message is saved in the Drafts folder for the current account.

  Note: Your mail message will stay open after you save it as a draft.

To edit or send a message draft, begin from the Mail window:

1. Click the Drafts folder for the account where you created the message draft.
2. Click the message that you want to edit.
3. In the top-right corner of the message, click the Edit Draft button.
4. Edit the message as necessary.
5. Click Send to send the message or click Save to save the message so you can complete it later.

   Note: Sending the message removes it from the Drafts folder.

Tip: You can also double-click the message to open it for editing. This is especially useful if the message pane is closed.

To delete one or more unwanted message drafts, begin from the Mail window:

1. Click the Drafts folder for the account where you created the message drafts.
2. Select the message drafts that you want to delete.
3. Click Delete in the Mail toolbar.

[Return to beginning of section]

Creating and Using Templates

Templates are useful for setting the default format for messages that you send regularly, such as weekly status reports. You can save a message as a template from any window in which it is displayed, including from within a Mail compose window.

To save a message to use as a template:

1. In the Mail window, click Compose to create a new message and then set the default font, text size, text color, background color, and any other default formatting you want.

   Alternatively, open an existing message that already has the formatting you want.

2. While displaying the message, open the File menu, choose Save As, then choose Template. The message is stored as a template in the Templates folder for the current mail account.

To compose a message using a template:

1. In the Mail window, select the Templates folder for the account where you created the message template.
2. Double-click the message template to open it.
3. Edit the message, then save it (to put it in the Drafts folder) or send it.

   Note: Sending the message does not remove the template from the Templates folder. The template is preserved for future use.

To delete one or more unwanted message templates, begin from the Mail window:

1. Click the Templates folder for the account where you created the message templates.
2. Select the message templates that you want to delete.
3. Click Delete in the Mail toolbar.

[Return to beginning of section]

Creating HTML Mail Messages

Using HTML in Your Messages

HTML messages can include formatted text, links, images, and tables—just like a web page. However, some recipients may not be able to receive HTML messages. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups allows you to compose mail and newsgroup messages using either the HTML (rich-text) formatting editor or the plain-text editor for each mail account you have. In addition, you can choose whether your addressees should receive HTML or plain-text messages by default, and how Mail & Newsgroups should handle messages when it's not known if an addressee can receive HTML-formatted mail.

To specify whether to use the HTML editor as the default for composing messages, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Edit menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box.
2. Select the mail or newsgroup account you want to use.
3. Go to the Composition & Addressing panel and select Compose messages in HTML format. You see the Formatting toolbar in the Compose window. Leave this box unchecked to use the plain-text editor for this account.

[Return to beginning of section]

Editing or Inserting HTML Elements

If you understand how to work with HTML source code, you can edit or insert additional HTML tags, style attributes, and JavaScript in your mail message. If you are not sure how to work with HTML source code, it's best not to change it. To work with HTML code, use one of these methods:

• Place the insertion point where you want to insert the HTML code, then open the Insert menu and choose HTML. In the Insert HTML dialog box, enter HTML tags and text, and then click Insert to insert your changes.
• Select the HTML source code that you want to edit, then open the Insert menu and choose HTML. In the Insert HTML dialog box, edit HTML tags and text, and then click Insert to insert your changes.
• Select an element such as a table, named anchor, image, link, or horizontal line. Double-click the element to open the associated properties dialog box for that item. Click Advanced Edit to open the Advanced Property Editor. You can use the Advanced Property Editor to add HTML attributes and JavaScript to objects.

For more information on editing HTML source code, see Using the Advanced Property Editor.

[Return to beginning of section]

Choosing HTML Mail Sending Options

By default, Mail & Newsgroups prompts you before sending HTML messages when it's not known whether the recipient's mail program can display HTML-formatted messages.

To choose sending-format options for mail messages, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences.
2. Under the Mail & Newsgroups category, click Send Format. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Mail & Newsgroups to expand the list).

   Note: This preference applies only to mail messages, not to newsgroup messages.

3. Select the option you want and then click OK.

If while composing a message you realize that one or more recipients may not be able to receive HTML-formatted mail, you can easily convert the message to a different format when you click Send:

1. In the Compose window, open the Options menu and choose Format.
2. Select the format you want to use for sending the message from the submenu:
   • Auto Detect: Mail & Newsgroups chooses the appropriate format for the message text. If it can't determine the format, it asks you to choose a format.
   • Plain Text Only: The message may not display formatting such as bold text, but all mail programs will be able to display the message.
   • Rich Text (HTML) Only: Some mail programs may have trouble displaying an HTML-formatted message. Choose this option only if you are sure the recipient's mail program can display HTML-formatted mail.
   • Plain and Rich (HTML) Text: This uses more disk space, but may be the best choice if you are not sure whether the recipient's mail program can display HTML-formatted mail.
3. When you've finished composing the message, click Send.

[Return to beginning of section]

Specifying Recipients for HTML Messages

You can save time by indicating whether individuals in your address books prefer to receive either HTML messages or plain text messages.

1. Open the Window menu and choose Address Book.
2. Select the address book on the left and then select the individual's card on the right.
3. Click Properties to display the Card for dialog box.
4. In the Contact tab, use the Prefers to receive messages formatted as drop-down list to select HTML if you know this recipient can read HTML-formatted messages (such as messages that include links, images, or tables).

   If this recipient can only read messages sent as plain text (no formatting), then choose Plain Text. If you don't know or are not sure, choose Unknown.

   If you choose Unknown, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups determines the sending format based on the Send Format settings for Mail & Newsgroups in the Preferences dialog box. If Mail & Newsgroups still can't determine the correct format, it will prompt you to choose a sending format when you send the message.

5. Click OK.

[Return to beginning of section]

Viewing the Message Source for HTML Messages

You can quickly view the HTML and other code that generates an HTML message you've received:

1. In the message list window, open the message.
2. Open the View menu and choose Message Source.

[Return to beginning of section]

Using the HTML Mail Question Dialog Box

The HTML Mail Question dialog box appears when you try to send a message to someone whose mail program may not be able to display HTML messages or when Mail & Newsgroups cannot determine whether your recipient can display HTML messages. If you are in doubt, send the message in both HTML and plain-text formats.

[Return to beginning of section]

Using Attachments

Attaching a File or Web Page

To attach a file to an outgoing mail message:

1. In the Compose window, click Attach or open the File menu and choose Attach File. You see the Enter file to attach dialog box.

   Tip: You can also click inside the Attachments area to attach a file.

2. Type the name of the file you want to attach, or select a file from your hard drive that you want to attach.
3. Click Open. The filename appears in the Attachments area.

Tip: You can also drag and drop one or more files from your desktop into the Attachments area in the Compose window.

To attach a web page to an outgoing mail message:

1. In the Compose window, open the File menu and choose Attach Web Page.
2. In the dialog box, enter the URL of the page and then click OK. The web page URL appears in the Attachments area.

Tip: When you are viewing a page in the browser, you can send the page to someone by opening the File menu and choosing Send Page.

[Return to beginning of section]

Viewing and Opening Attachments

If you receive a mail attachment that consists of a file type that &brandShortName; can display (such as graphic files and HTML files), you see the attachment displayed inline (in the body of the message). For other file types, Mail & Newsgroups lets you open the attachment using another application, or you can save the attachment on your hard disk.

To open the attachment, make sure you have a program on your computer that can open files of the same type as the attachment's file format. For example, if you want to open a .DOC file, make sure you have a program on your computer that can open .DOC files.

To open an attachment:

1. Double-click the attachment you want (if there is more than one).
2. In the Downloading dialog box, choose what you want &brandShortName; to do with the attachment:
   • If &brandShortName; finds an application on your hard disk that can open the attachment, you can open the attachment using that application. Click Choose to use a different application to open the attachment.
   • If &brandShortName; can't find an application on your hard disk that can open the attachment, you can save the attachment. You won't be able to open the attachment, but at least you can save it on your hard disk until you can install an application that can open it.
   • Click Advanced to add a new file type to the list of helper applications. &brandShortName; uses helper applications to determine how different file types are opened by other applications from within &brandShortName;. For more information, see Plugins and Downloads.
3. Click OK.

Note: If you are viewing your mail using an IMAP mail server, all attachments remain on the server.

[Return to beginning of section]

Saving Attachments

To save an attachment:

1. In the right side of the message envelope, under Attachments, select the attachment that you want to save.
2. Right-click or, if you have a one-button mouse, Ctrl-clickthe attachment and choose Save As from the pop-up menu.
3. Choose a filename and location for the attachment on your hard disk and then click OK. Mail & Newsgroups downloads the attachment and saves it to the specified location.

Tip: To save all attachments, right-click or, if you have a one-button mouse, Ctrl-clickthe first one in the attachment list, and choose Save All. You can then specify the location where you want all the attachments to be saved.

[Return to beginning of section]

Deleting Messages

Deleting POP or IMAP Messages

How you delete messages depends on your mail server type: POP or IMAP. Deleted POP messages are automatically moved to the Trash folder. IMAP users can set different options for deleting messages.

To delete messages from your Inbox or other folders, begin from the Mail window:

1. In the message list, select the messages and click Delete. By default, Mail & Newsgroups moves the selected messages to the Trash folder.
2. To delete messages permanently, open the File menu and choose Empty Trash.

To delete messages without opening them, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the View menu and choose Layout, and then uncheck Message Pane.

   Alternatively, click the Message Pane handle (the ridged area centered at the bottom of the message list) to close the message pane.

2. In the message list, select the messages and click Delete.

To set deletion preferences for IMAP messages:

1. Open the Edit menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box.
2. Locate the IMAP account you want, and then click the Server Settings category under the account name.
3. Select the options you want for deleting messages and click OK.

[Return to beginning of section]

Moving Messages To and From the Trash

If you use a POP server to deliver your mail, or if you set up IMAP to use the Trash folder, follow these steps to delete messages from your Inbox or other folders:

1. In the message list, select the messages you want to delete.
2. Click Delete. Mail & Newsgroups moves the messages to the Trash folder.

To recover messages from the Trash:

1. Click the Trash folder.
2. Select the messages you want to recover and drag them to another folder.

To delete messages permanently:

• Open the File menu and choose Empty Trash.

[Return to beginning of section]

Using Address Books

About Address Books

Address books store email addresses and contact information for people you typically send mail to, such as colleagues, friends, and family. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups provides you with two address books: the Personal Address Book and the Collected Addresses—and you can create additional address books as well. You can also import address books from other mail programs and previous versions of &brandShortName;. The contents of these address books are stored locally on your hard disk.

Your address book may also list email addresses from an LDAP directory, which is located on an LDAP directory server. The directory server stores email addresses of people that are not included in your locally-stored address books. The Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) is an industry-standard method for accessing Internet or intranet directory services such as corporate address books.

Personal Address Book

Use the Personal Address Book to add specific names of your choice. You can create mailing lists and edit individual address entries.

Collected Addresses

By default, the Collected Addresses automatically collects the email addresses contained in outgoing mail messages. Addresses from outgoing messages are stored in the Collected Addresses as soon as you click Send.

LDAP Directory (if available)

An LDAP directory (also known as an address lookup service) stores email addresses of recipients who are not in your locally-stored address books. LDAP directories offer you access to large, centrally maintained databases of email addresses, which is especially useful with address autocompletion.

Automatic address collection is enabled by default. To change automatic address collection settings, begin in the Mail window:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences.
2. Under the Mail & Newsgroups category, click Addressing. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Mail & Newsgroups to expand the list.)
3. Under Email Address Collection, select Add email addresses to my and choose whether you want:
   • Personal Address Book.
   • Collected Addresses.
4. Click OK.

Opening the Address Book Window

To open the Address Book window:

• Open the Window menu and choose Address Book, or click the Address Book icon in the lower-left corner of any &brandShortName; window.

  	Address Book icon

Changing the Address Book Window Display

To customize how the Address Book window and the cards are displayed:

1. Open the Window menu and choose Address Book. You see the Address Book window.
2. In the Address Book window, open the View menu and choose from the following display options:
   • Choose Show/Hide, and then select the item you wish to uncheck (hide) or check (show).
   • Choose Show Name As, and then select how you want card names displayed (first/last, last/first, or Display Name).
   • Choose Sort by, and then select a sort option.

[Return to beginning of section]

Adding Entries to Your Address Books

You can use any of the following ways to add entries to your address books:

• Click a name in the From or recipient fields (for example, To or Cc) in a message you've received, and then select Add to Address Book from the drop-down list.
• In the Address Book window, click New Card to create a new address book card.
• Send a message, which automatically adds the recipient's address to your address book (if enabled).
• In the Address Book window, copy entries to another address book by selecting the entries and dragging them over the name of the address book you want to copy them to.

[Return to beginning of section]

Creating a New Address Book

&brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups provides a default personal address book, but you can create additional address books.

To create a new address book:

1. Click the Address Book icon in the lower-left corner of any &brandShortName; window, or open the Window menu and choose Address Book. You see the Address Book window.

   	Address Book icon

2. In the Address Book window, open the File menu, choose New, and choose Address Book. You see the New Address Book dialog box.
3. Type the name of the new address book, and click OK.

[Return to beginning of section]

Creating a New Address Book Card

Address book cards can be used to store names, postal addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and information such as whether the addressee prefers to receive plain-text or HTML-formatted messages.

To create an address book card for an individual:

1. Click the Address Book icon on the status bar or open the Window menu and choose Address Book.
2. Click New Card. (If you have multiple address books, select the one to which you want to add a card.)
3. Each New Card dialog box has three tabs:
   • Contact: Enter the following information:
     • First and Last (first and last name of person as you want it to appear in the address book).
     • Display name (the name that appears in the To field of the Compose window).
     • Nickname (a shortcut or alias for the real name).
     • Email address (primary and additional address).
     • Prefers to receive messages formatted as: If you know this recipient can read HTML-formatted messages (such as messages that include links, images, or tables), choose HTML. If this recipient can only read messages sent as plain text (no formatting), then choose Plain Text. If you don't know or are not sure, choose Unknown. If you choose Unknown, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups determines the sending format based on the Mail & Newsgroups Send Format settings in the Preferences dialog box. If Mail & Newsgroups still can't determine the correct format, Mail & Newsgroups will prompt you to choose a sending format when you send the message.
     • Allow remote images in HTML mail: If you want to allow this sender to have remote content they send you displayed in your message window.
     • Screen name (the AIM contact name).
     • Phones (enter phone numbers for this person)
   • Address: Type additional information such as street address, phone number, and URL.

     Tip: If you enter address information, &brandShortName; displays a Get Map button next to the address when you view this entry's address book card in your address book. Clicking the Get Map button displays a web page that contains a map to the address.

   • Other: Store any additional information you want.

Tip: To quickly add entries to your address book, click any email address in messages you receive and select Add to Address Book from the drop-down list. The New Card dialog box appears where you can complete the information.

Viewing or Editing Card Properties

To view or edit the properties for an individual card:

1. Select the card from the list of entries in the Address Book window.
2. Click Properties.

[Return to beginning of section]

Creating a Mailing List

If you regularly send messages to a group of recipients, you can quickly address a message by using a mailing list that contains the names you want.

To create a mailing list and add it to your address book:

1. In the Address Book window, click New List.
2. Enter the following information in the Mailing List dialog box:
   • Click the drop-down list at Add to to choose an address book in which to store the list.
   • List name: When you enter the list name in the To field of a message, everyone on the list receives your message.
   • List nickname: Alias (or shortcut) for the list name.
   • Description: Appears after the list name in the address line of the Compose window.
3. Type email addresses to add them to the mailing list.
4. Click OK.

In the left side of the Address Book window, the mailing list appears underneath the address book you added it to.

[Return to beginning of section]

Editing a Mailing List

Mailing lists are stored in the address book in which you created them.

To remove a member from the list, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Window menu and choose Address Book.
2. Expand the address book containing your mailing list by clicking the small triangle beside the address book title.
3. Highlight the mailing list by clicking its name. The list members appear to the right of the mailing list name.
4. Click the entry you wish to delete.
5. Click the Delete button.

To add members to a mailing list:

1. Open Window menu and choose Address Book.
2. Expand the address book containing your mailing list by clicking the small triangle beside the address book title.
3. Highlight the mailing list by clicking its name.
4. Click Properties.
5. Add or remove entries as necessary.
6. Click OK when you are done.

[Return to beginning of section]

Searching Address Books and Directories

&brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups lets you quickly search an address book or directory by name or email address, or use a combination of criteria to perform a more specific search through an address book or directory.

To quickly search an address book or directory for a name or email address, begin from the Address Book window:

1. In the Address Book window, in the list of address books, select the address book or directory that you want to search.
2. In the Name or Email contains field, type the name or email address that you want to find. You can type only part of the name or email address, or you can type the exact text that you want to find.

   As soon as you stop typing, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups displays only those entries where the name or email address contains the search text you entered.

3. Click Clear to erase the search text and show all entries.

Searching for Specific Entries

You can search address books or directories for specific entries. If you are not already viewing the Advanced Address Book Search dialog box, begin from the Address Book window:

1. Open the Tools menu and choose Search Addresses. You see the Advanced Address Book Search dialog box.
2. Next to Search in, choose the address book or directory through which you want to search.
3. Select the matching option Mail & Newsgroups uses to search for entries either that match all or at least one of the conditions (criteria) that you choose.
4. Click More to add criteria and Fewer to remove them.
5. Click Search to begin, or click Clear to reset your entries. The search results appear in lower part of the dialog box.
6. To sort the entries in a different order, click the column that you want to sort by.
7. To view the card for an entry, select the entry and click Properties.
8. To compose a message to selected recipients, select one or more entries and click Compose.

[Return to beginning of section]

Importing Address Books

If you have a &brandShortName; address book from another user profile or computer, or if you have an address book from another mail program, you can import its entries into the Address Book window as a new address book. Keep in mind that when you upgrade a user profile from an earlier version of &brandShortName;, your address books are automatically included, so there's no need to import them.

You can import address books from Netscape 6, Netscape 7, Eudora, Outlook, Outlook Express, or text files (LDIF, tab-delimited (.tab), comma-separated (.csv), or text (.txt) formats). When you import an address book, Mail & Newsgroups creates a new address book with the imported entries.

You can also import mail messages and settings from Communicator, Eudora, Outlook, and Outlook Express.

To import an address book, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Tools menu, and choose Import. You see the Mail Import Wizard.
2. Follow the instructions to import address books.

[Return to beginning of section]

Exporting Address Books

You can export a &brandShortName; address book if you later want to import it into another user profile, move it to another computer, or use it with another program that can import address books. You can export an address book to one of these file formats: &brandShortName; (.ldif), tab-delimited (.tab), comma-separated (.csv), or text (.txt) formats.

To export an address book, begin from the Address Book window:

1. Select the address book that you want to export.
2. Open the Tools menu, and choose Export.
3. In the Export Address Book dialog box, browse to the location where you want to save the address book file.
4. Choose the file format for the exported address book (.ldif, comma-separated, or tab-delimited).
5. Enter a name for the address book file. Be sure to include the appropriate file extension (.ldif, .csv, .tab, or .txt).
6. Click Save.

[Return to beginning of section]

Adding and Removing LDAP Directories

Adding an LDAP directory to your address book allows you to search the directory for email addresses and other contact information. You can also use the directory for address autocompletion when addressing mail messages.

You typically add or remove LDAP directories using instructions provided by your system administrator. Check with your system administrator for the information you will need in order to add a new directory to your address book.

To add a new directory, begin from the Address Book window:

1. Open the File menu, and choose New, and then choose LDAP Directory. You see the Directory Server Properties dialog box.
2. Type the following information in the Directory Server Properties dialog box General tab:
   • Name: Enter the name of the directory service (for example, InfoSpace Directory).
   • Host Name: Enter the name of the host name server, such as ldap.infospace.com.
   • Base DN: This setting is used to set the Base distinguished name. Enter codes to restrict searching to a specific country or organization. For example, c=JP restricts the search to Japan only. Base DN also specifies the organization to search on within the directory (for instance, o=Netscape Communications Corporation, c=US).
   • Port Number: Enter the port number for the LDAP server. The default is 389.
   • Bind DN: The distinguished name that is used to authenticate (log in) to the LDAP server. If left blank, the LDAP server binds anonymously.
   • Use secure connection (SSL): Choose this setting if your LDAP server supports secure (encrypted) connections. If you are unsure, contact your system administrator.
3. Click the Advanced tab to configure LDAP directory server settings.
4. Type the following information:
   • Don't return more than _ results: This setting lets you limit the number of autocompletion matches returned by the directory server. Enter the maximum number of email address matches to display for autocompletion.
   • Scope: Defines the limits of the search. Choose one of the following:
     • One Level: Retrieves matching entries by searching the base DN and one level below the base DN.
     • Subtree: Retrieves matching entries by searching the base DN in addition to all levels below the base DN. This is the least restrictive search.
   • Search filter: Enter the search filter to apply to matching results that are within the specified scope of the search.
5. Click OK to close the Directory Server Properties dialog box.

The directory you added appears in the list of address books in the Address Book window.

To delete a directory:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences. You see the Preferences dialog box.
2. Under the Mail & Newsgroups category, select Addressing. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Mail & Newsgroups to expand the list.)
3. Under Address Autocompletion on the right side of the dialog box, click Edit Directories.
4. In the LDAP Directory Servers dialog box, select the directory that you want to delete and click Delete.
5. Click OK, then click OK again to close the Preferences dialog box.

For information on downloading or synchronizing a directory for offline use so that you can search it or use it for address book autocompletion while working offline, see Downloading Directory Entries for Offline Use.

Directory Server Settings

If you are not already viewing the Directory Server Settings dialog box, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Window menu, and choose Address Book.
2. In the list of address books, select a directory.
3. Click Properties.

General Tab

• Name: The name of the directory service (for example, InfoSpace Directory).
• Host Name: The name of the host name server, such as ldap.infospace.com.
• Base DN: The Base Distinguished Name. Codes entered here restrict searching to a specific country or organization. For example, c=JP restricts the search to Japan only. Base DN also specifies the organization to search on within the directory (for instance, o=Netscape Communications Corporation, c=US).
• Port Number: Enter the port number for the LDAP server. The default is 389.
• Bind DN: The distinguished name that is used to authenticate (log in) to the LDAP server. If left blank, the LDAP server binds anonymously.
• Use secure connection (SSL): Choose this setting if your LDAP server supports secure (encrypted) connections. If you are unsure, contact your system administrator.

Advanced Tab

• Don't return more than _ results: This setting lets you limit the number of autocompletion matches returned by the directory server. Specify the maximum number of email address matches to display for autocompletion.
• Scope: Defines the limits of the search:
  • One Level: Retrieves matching entries by searching the base DN and one level below the base DN.
  • Subtree: Retrieves matching entries by searching the base DN in addition to all levels below the base DN. This is the least restrictive search.
• Search filter: Specifies the search filter to apply to matching results that are within the specified scope of the search.

[Return to beginning of section]

Organizing Your Messages

Creating a Folder

To create a message folder, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the File menu, choose New, and then Folder. You see the New Folder dialog box.
2. Type the name of the folder.
3. Click the drop-down list and choose a folder location and click OK. Your new folder appears in your Mail Folders list.

[Return to beginning of section]

Renaming a Folder

To rename an existing folder, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select the folder you want to rename.
2. Open the File menu and choose Rename Folder. You see the Rename Folder dialog box.
3. Type the new name and click OK.

Note: If you rename a folder that you've been using to store filtered messages, the filter will automatically update to use the renamed folder.

[Return to beginning of section]

Moving or Copying a Folder

You can copy a folder and its contents to another mail account, or move a folder within the same mail account.

To move or copy a folder, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select the folder you want to move or copy.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To move the folder under another folder within the same account, drag the folder over the name of the other folder. The folder you moved becomes a subfolder of the other folder.
   • To copy the folder to another account, drag the folder over the name of another account.
   • To copy the folder under another folder in another account, drag the folder over the name of another folder in another account. The folder you copied becomes a subfolder of the other folder.

[Return to beginning of section]

Filing Messages in Folders

You can move messages from one folder to another by using either of these methods:

• Select the message, click the File button on the toolbar, and choose the destination folder.
• Drag and drop messages into the desired folder.

  Note: If you drag and drop a message from an IMAP or POP mail server folder to a local folder on your hard drive, the message is moved to the local folder and removed from the server folder.

To copy a message from one folder to another:

1. Select the message and right-click to display the pop-up menu.
2. Select Copy To and then select the destination account and folder from the drop-down list.

Tip: Alternatively, you can copy a message between folders by holding down the Shift key while dragging the message from the message list over another folder.

[Return to beginning of section]

Sharing Folders With Other Users (IMAP Only)

Users with IMAP mail accounts can share mail folders with other users on the same network. Sharing folders allows several users to see and work with the same messages, similar to a newsgroup. To use shared folders, your IMAP mail server must support Access Control List (ACL) management. Check with your system administrator or help desk if you are not sure that shared folders are supported by your IMAP mail server.

To share a mail folder with other users on your network, or to view sharing information for a folder, begin from the Mail window:

1. Within an IMAP account, select a folder that you want to share, or select a folder whose sharing privileges you want to view.

   Folders listed under Local Folders, or folders listed under a POP mail account cannot be shared.

2. Open the Edit menu, and choose Folder Properties.
3. Click the Sharing tab.
4. Click Privileges. You may be prompted to enter your network user name and password.

   The Privileges button is only available if the IMAP mail server allows you to set folder sharing privileges. If this button is not available, you can view the folder sharing privileges for this folder but cannot change them.

5. Follow the instructions on the screen to add users and to set their folder access privileges.
   • Read privileges: Users can read messages and copy their contents, but they cannot modify or delete messages, or copy messages into the folder. Users can flag messages as read or unread. See Marking or Flagging Messages for instructions on flagging messages.
   • Read and Write privileges: In addition to Read privileges, users can modify and delete messages. Users can also copy or move messages into the folder.
   • Manage privileges: In addition to Read and Write privileges, users can add and remove users and change their folder permissions.
6. Click OK to confirm your changes.
7. Click OK to close the Folder Properties dialog box.

In the list of folders for your mail account, a shared folder displays a distinctive folder icon to indicate that it is shared.

To send a message that tells others how they can subscribe to your shared folder, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select the shared folder.
2. Right-click to display a pop-up menu, and choose Copy Folder Location.
3. Click Compose to display a Mail compose window.
4. Click in the message body, open the Edit menu, and choose Paste.
5. Address the message, type a subject, and type the message text. Tell message recipients that they can subscribe to the shared folder by clicking the link you pasted into the message.

   Only message recipients who share the same network will be able to subscribe to your shared folder.

6. Click Send.

Subscribing to a Shared Folder

Subscribing to a shared folder is similar to subscribing to a newsgroup. To subscribe to a shared folder, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the File menu and choose Subscribe. You see the Subscribe dialog box.
2. If necessary, click the Account drop-down list to choose another IMAP mail account.
3. Select the folder that you want to subscribe to.
4. Click Subscribe or click in the Subscribe column next to the folder. You see a checkmark next to each folder to which you subscribe. Click Unsubscribe to cancel a selection.
5. Click OK. The list of your subscribed folders appears in the Mail window.

[Return to beginning of section]

Tagging Messages

You can apply tags to messages to help you organize and prioritize them. You can apply a standard color and tag text to messages, or you can create your own color and tag text to suit your needs.

One powerful way to use tags is to set up a message filter to automatically tag incoming messages from a specific sender. For example, you can set up a message filter so that incoming messages from your boss are tagged Important and appear in red. See Creating Message Filters for more information.

Applying a Tag

To apply a tag to a message, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select the message you want to tag.
2. Open the Message menu, and choose Tag.
3. Choose the tag you want to apply from the list.

The message summary row changes to the color of the tag with the topmost priority. To see the tag text, you must display the Tags column in the Mail window.

Tip: To quickly tag messages or remove a tag, select one or more messages and press one of the number keys 1-9 on your keyboard. Press 0 to remove all tags.

To display the Tags column, begin from the Mail window:

• Click the Show/Hide Columns icon and select Tags from the list.

Note: Message tags apply on a per-account basis. For example, if you move or copy a tagged message to another mail account, the tags are not preserved. Similarly, if you forward a tagged message to another recipient, the tags are not preserved. For IMAP mail accounts, if your IMAP server supports user-defined keywords, message tags will persist when you log in to your mail account from a different location.

[Return to beginning of section]

Customizing Tags

You can customize tag colors and text and their order to suit your needs.

To customize tags, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the &brandShortName; Edit menu and choose Preferences. You see the Preferences dialog box.
2. Under the Mail & Newsgroups category, click Tags. (If no subcategories are visible, double-click Mail & Newsgroups to expand the list.)
3. Edit the tag text, or replace it with your own tag text. The tag can be up to 32 characters long.
4. To change the tag color, click the color block next to that tag and select a new color.
5. Click the Move Up and Move Down buttons to reorder the tags. Tags at the top will have higher priority when coloring messages.
6. Click OK.

Your changes are immediately applied to all tagged messages in all your mail accounts.

Tip: To undo all customizations and restore just the default tags' text and colors, follow the steps above to display the tag settings, and click Restore Defaults.

[Return to beginning of section]

Sorting Messages by Tags

To sort messages by tags, begin from the Mail window:

1. To display the Tags column if it is hidden, click the Show/Hide Columns icon and select Tags from the list.
2. Click the Tags column to sort messages by tags, and within each tag type, to sort messages by date.

[Return to beginning of section]

Removing Tags

To remove a message tag, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select one or more tagged messages.
2. Open the Message menu, and choose Tag.
3. Choose the tag you want to remove or None to remove all tags from this message.

[Return to beginning of section]

Marking or Flagging Messages

You might want to mark a message you've read as unread if you later want to re-read the message or respond to it.

To mark a message as unread, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select a Mail or Newsgroup folder to display its messages.
2. Click in the Read column of each message you want to mark as unread. Messages marked as unread display a symbol in the Read column. Messages marked as read display a symbol in the Read column. If the Read column is not visible, click the Show/Hide Columns icon and select Read from the list.

Read column

You can flag messages that you later want to download for offline use.

To flag messages, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select a Mail or Newsgroup folder to display its messages.
2. Click in the Flag column of each message you want to download. A flag appears where you clicked to indicate that the message has been flagged. If the Flag column is not visible, click the Show/Hide Columns icon and select Flag from the list.

Flag column

[Return to beginning of section]

Using Message Views

You can apply preset or custom message views to help you manage messages by filtering displayed messages.

To use a message view, open the View menu and choose Messages. Choose an option from the submenu.

• All: Choose this option to view all messages.
• Unread: Choose this option to view only unread messages.
• Tags: Choose a tag to view tagged messages.
• Custom views: Choose a custom view. By default you have four preset views: People I Know, Recent Mail, Last 5 Days, and Not Junk.
• Customize: Choose this option to view or modify settings for custom views.

Tip: You can quickly change message view from the View box in the Search Bar. If you do not see the Search Bar, open the View menu, choose Show/Hide, and then choose Search Bar.

	Quick mail search bar

Creating a Custom View

You can create custom message views to only display messages matching certain criteria.

To change or create a custom message view:

1. Open the View menu, choose Messages, and then choose Customize.
2. To create a new view, click New. To modify a view, select a view and click Edit.
3. Type a name for the message view.
4. Select the matching option you want Mail to use: all of the following conditions (criteria) you choose, or any of the following.
5. Use the drop-down lists to choose the search criteria (for example, Subject, Sender, contains, doesn't contain) and then type the text or phrase you want to match.

   Tip: To search for messages that contain a header not listed in the first drop-down menu (for example, if you want to search for messages that include the header Resent-From), choose Customize and type the header you want to search for. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups adds your custom header to the drop-down list, so you can then choose it to search for matching entries. Make sure you enter the custom header correctly, since Mail will only find entries that exactly match what you type.

6. Click More to add criteria and Fewer to remove them.
7. Click OK to confirm your settings.
8. Click OK in the Customize Message Views dialog box. The selected view setting applies automatically.

[Return to beginning of section]

Creating Message Filters

Message filters allow you to manage and organize your messages. You can create message filters that &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups uses to automatically perform certain actions on incoming messages based on criteria you specify. For example, you can create a message filter that automatically moves incoming messages to a particular folder. Message filters operate on a per-account basis.

If you are not already viewing the Message Filters dialog box, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Tools menu and choose Message Filters. You see the Message Filters dialog box.
2. If you have multiple mail accounts, choose the one to which you want to apply the filter.
3. Click New. You use the Filter Rules dialog box to specify the types of messages to act on, and the actions you want the filter to perform.
4. Type a name for the filter.
5. Select when you want the filter to be applied. This setting enables you to define some filters to be applied in an automatic way (when checking mail), on demand (manually run), or both. After classification means that junk and phishing controls will be run before applying the filter.
6. Select the matching option you want Mail to use: all of the following conditions (criteria) you choose, any of the following conditions you choose, or all messages.
7. Use the drop-down lists to choose the search criteria (for example, Subject, Sender, contains, doesn't contain) and then type the text or phrase you want to match.

   Tip: To search for messages that contain a header not listed in the first drop-down menu (for example, if you want to search for messages that include the header Resent-From), choose Customize and type the header you want to search for. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups adds your custom header to the drop-down list, so you can then choose it to search for matching entries. Make sure you enter the custom header correctly, since Mail will only find entries that exactly match what you type.

8. Click + to add criteria and - to remove them.
9. Use the list to choose the action you want the filter to perform on the messages (for example, Move Message To). Use + and - to add or remove additional actions.

   Tip: To automatically tag incoming messages, choose Tag Message from the drop-down list.

   Tip: Message filters are applied one after another. It could be that you don't want all filters to be run if one or more messages match some conditions. For instance, you may want to tag all messages from your boss's email address as Important, and you may want all messages containing the word Memorandum in their subject to be moved to a folder named Pending Reads, but you don't want any message from your boss to be moved to another folder, even if it contains Memorandum in the subject. So the first message filter you define should match your boss's email address, and would contain two actions: Tag Message as Important and Stop Filter Execution.

10. If you have chosen Move or Copy message to a folder, then select a destination folder in which to store the messages, or create a new folder.
11. Click OK to confirm your settings.
12. To run filters on existing messages in a folder, select the folder in the bottom dropdown list and click the Run Now button.
13. Click OK in the Message Filters dialog box. The filter begins filtering incoming messages as soon as you click OK.

Note: You can also run message filters manually at any time. In the Mail window, choose Tools, and then select Run Filters on Folder to apply filters to the current folder, or Run Filters on Message to apply filters to the selected message (if any).

To manage your filters, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Tools menu and choose Message Filters. You see the Message Filters dialog box.
2. If you have multiple mail accounts, choose the one to which you want to apply the filter.
3. Choose from the following:
   • To turn a filter on or off: Click the checkbox to the right of the filter name to enable it, or click it again to turn it off.
   • To edit a filter: Select the filter name and click Edit (or double-click the filter name). Use the Filter Rules dialog box to make your changes.
   • To delete a filter: Select the filter name and click Delete.
   • To change the order in which filters are applied: In the filter list, click a filter's name, and click Move Up or Move Down to move it.

     Note: Filters are applied to each incoming message in the order you choose, until a filter action results in the message being deleted or moved from the Inbox folder.

4. Click OK when you are done managing your filters. If you created a new filter, it begins filtering incoming messages as soon as you click OK.

Note: If you delete a folder that you've been using to store filtered messages, the filter will no longer work. Incoming messages that match the filter criteria will appear in your Inbox. If you rename or move the folder, the filter will automatically update to use the renamed or moved folder.

Tip: If you have existing messages that you want to move to another folder, use the Run Filters on Messages option in the Tools menu.

[Return to beginning of section]

Filtering Messages From a Specific Sender

You can quickly create a filter for messages from a particular sender. For example, if you want to automatically move all incoming messages from your child's teacher into a folder called School, you can quickly set up a filter to do this.

To create a filter for messages from a specific sender, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select a message from a specific sender.
2. Open the Message menu and choose Create Filter From Message. Or, in the message header pane, right click the sender name and choose Create Filter From.
3. You see the Filter Rules dialog box. Using the sender's email address, &brandShortName; prefills the filter matching criteria and the filter action (Move Message to). You can change or add new rules to the matching criteria.
4. Choose a destination folder in which to store the incoming messages from the specified sender, or create a new folder. You can also choose other actions for this filter, or change the default one.
5. Note that, if you leave the filter name empty, &brandShortName; will provide a name for it based on the first criterion.
6. Click OK to confirm your settings. You see the Message Filters dialog box, where you can create, delete, or edit message filters.
7. Click OK. The filter begins filtering incoming messages from the specified sender as soon as you click OK.

[Return to beginning of section]

Searching Through Messages

&brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups lets you quickly find text in a single message, search messages by subject or sender, or use a combination of criteria to perform a thorough search through all messages in a specific mail folder, newsgroup, or account.

To locate text in a single message, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select the message, open the Edit menu, and choose Find in This Message.
2. Type the text that you want to locate in the dialog box.
3. Click Find to locate the first occurrence of the text.
4. Continue clicking Find to locate additional occurrences, or click Cancel when you are done.
5. Choose Find Again from the Edit menu to continue searching for the text throughout the rest of the message.

To quickly search for messages in a selected folder by subject or sender, begin from the Mail window:

1. To the right of Subject or Sender contains:, type the subject text or sender name that you want to find. You can type only part of the subject or sender, or you can type the exact word or name that you want to find.

   As soon as you stop typing, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups displays only those messages in the selected folder where the subject or sender contains the search text you entered.

2. Click Clear to erase the search text and show all messages in the selected folder.

Searching for Specific Messages

You can search mail folders or newsgroups for specific messages. If you are not already viewing the Search Messages dialog box, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Tools menu and choose Search Messages. You see the Search Messages dialog box.
2. Next to Search for messages in, choose the account, newsgroup, or folder through which you want to search.
3. Select Search subfolders to include all subfolders in the search.
4. Select Search local system to search only messages from newsgroups or IMAP accounts that have been saved locally.

   Note: The checkbox will be disabled if it's not possible to search remotely stored messages.

5. Select which matching option Mail & Newsgroups will use to search for messages that match all or at least one of the conditions (criteria) that you choose.
6. Use the drop-down lists to indicate the search criteria (for example, Subject and contains) and then type the text or phrase that you want to match.

   Tip: To search for messages that contain a header not listed in the first drop-down menu (for example, if you want to search for messages that include the header Resent-From), choose Customize and type the header you want to search for. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups adds your custom header to the drop-down list, so you can then choose it to search for matching entries. Make sure you enter the custom header correctly, since Mail will only find entries that exactly match what you type.

7. Click More to add criteria and Fewer to remove them.
8. Click Search to begin, or click Clear to reset your entries. The search results appear in lower part of the Search Messages dialog box.
   • To open a message so you can read it, select the message and click Open, or double-click the message.
   • To sort the messages in a different order, click the column that you want to sort by.
   • To move or copy a message in the Results area to another folder, select the message and then choose the destination folder from the File drop-down list. If the destination folder is within the same account, the message is moved to that folder. If the destination folder is within a different account, the message is copied to that folder.
   • To delete a message in the Results area, select the message and then click Delete.
   • To open the folder where the message is stored, select the message and click Open Message Folder.

[Return to beginning of section]

Controlling Junk Mail

This section describes how to use &brandShortName;'s Junk Mail Controls to filter unwanted mail, and how phishing detection works.

Using Junk Mail Controls

&brandShortName;'s Junk Mail Controls feature can evaluate your incoming messages and identify possible junk (or unsolicited) messages. The feature uses the Bayesian classification method. You first train &brandShortName; by showing it a bunch of mail that is junk, and a bunch of mail that is not. Then, you let it auto-classify new mail for you. If &brandShortName; makes any mistakes, you can correct them.

To use Junk Mail Controls:

1. First, train &brandShortName; to recognize Junk messages and Non-Junk messages. There are three ways to toggle junk status of the selected message(s):
   • Open the Message menu, select Mark and choose As Junk or As Not Junk.
   • Click on the Junk toolbar button.
   • 

     Click to toggle the Junk Status column in the message list. (If you do not see it, click the right-most button ( ) in the list header bar and select Junk Status from the pop-up menu.)

   When you toggle junk status, a trash-can icon will appear or disappear in the Junk status column to indicate the junk status of the selected message.

2. Open the Edit menu, and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box.
3. Click the Junk Settings category for your mail account.
4. Enable the feature and &brandShortName; will automatically classify incoming messages. (See Junk Mail Controls Options. Details on the other settings there can be found in the Junk Settings preference panel description.)
5. If you have trained it on virus mail, consider disabling the white listing (many mail viruses send bulk messages to people in the address book of the infected computer).
6. Make sure to correct the Junk Mail Controls when it incorrectly labels messages either as junk or not junk.
7. To analyze existing messages, select messages, open the Tools menu and choose Run Junk Mail Controls.

Note: &brandShortName; will only run Junk Mail Controls when the training database has information on non-Junk messages. If Junk Mail Controls do not work, select some messages and explicitly mark them as Not Junk.

[Return to beginning of section]

Junk Mail Controls Options

To fine-tune how Junk Mail Controls work, use the Junk & Suspect Mail preference panel for account-independent settings and the account manager's Junk Settings for settings of a specific mail account.

[Return to beginning of section]

Junk Mail Controls and Filters

Junk Mail Controls run after mail filters (unless you set the filter to run after classification, where classification includes junk and phishing scanning) and apply only to the Inbox folder and its sub-folders. Use this to your advantage, for example, you can filter mail you are sure not to be Junk to a special folder outside of Inbox so that the messages will not be classified as Junk (especially useful if you subscribe to newsletters or if you are on a moderated mailing list).

[Return to beginning of section]

Phishing Detection

Phishing is a particularly common fraudulent business scheme in which a party creates counterfeit websites designed to trick recipients into divulging personal data such as credit card numbers, account usernames, passwords and social security numbers. Hijacking brand names of banks, e-retailers and credit card companies, phishers often convince recipients to respond.

In many cases, you'll receive a link to a phishing page via an email which claims to come from an official-looking address. You can also end up at these pages by following links that you find on the Web or in IM messages.

Tip: Since a forged URL can look very similar to a genuine one, it's safer to use a bookmark you've created or to type the URL into the location bar by hand instead of following a link in an email message. Always consider the risk of a forged URL if you're asked to log in or provide private information on a website.

&brandShortName; Mail phishing detector is enabled by default. When it encounters a mail which seems to be scam, it will show a warning bar in the message window.

If you think that the email is a valid one, you can click on the Not Scam button, and the warning bar will disappear.

When a user clicks on a link in an email that appears to be a phishing URL, &brandShortName; will prompt the user with a dialog box before the website is opened.

This prompt will appear if either of the following is true: the host name of the actual URL is an IP address, or the link text is a URL whose host name does not match the host name of the actual URL.

Note: Phishing detection has a higher precedence than Junk Mail detection.

For more technical details on this subject, see the online document Know your Enemy: Phishing.

[Return to beginning of section]

Importing Mail from Other Programs

This section describes how to import mail messages and settings from Netscape Communicator, Outlook, Outlook Express, and Eudora. To import address books from these programs, see Importing Address Books.

Importing Mail Messages

To import mail messages from Netscape Communicator, Outlook, Outlook Express, or Eudora, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Tools menu, and choose Import. You see the Import Wizard.
2. Follow the instructions to import mail messages.

For Netscape Communicator, the wizard imports a copy of all Communicator mail folders included under Local Folders. Imported mail is added as a new folder under Local Folders in the Mail window. (The Communicator mail folders still remain in their original location).

[Return to beginning of section]

Importing Mail Settings

To import mail settings from Outlook, Outlook Express, or Eudora, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Tools menu, and choose Import. You see the Import Wizard.
2. Follow the instructions to import mail settings.

[Return to beginning of section]

Getting Started With Newsgroups

Subscribing to Newsgroups

If you have set up an account on a newsgroup server, you can join (subscribe) to newsgroups (also called discussion groups).

To subscribe to a newsgroup, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the File menu and choose Subscribe. You see the Subscribe dialog box.
2. If necessary, click the Account drop-down list to choose another newsgroup account.
3. Select a newsgroup. To select more than one newsgroup, CmdCtrl-click additional newsgroup.
4. Click Subscribe or click in the Subscribe column next to the newsgroup. You see a checkmark next to each newsgroup to which you subscribe. Click Unsubscribe to cancel a selection.
5. Click OK. The list of your subscribed newsgroups appears in the Mail window.

If you are an IMAP mail user, you can also subscribe to message folders located on an IMAP server. (Your Inbox is a type of message folder.) Follow the instructions above for subscribing, but select an IMAP account from the Account drop-down list. For more information on sharing folders and subscribing to folders, see Sharing Folders With Other Users (IMAP Only).

[Return to beginning of section]

Reading Newsgroup Messages

When you open your newsgroup server, you see the list of newsgroups to which you subscribe. The server downloads the headers of new messages in each newsgroup.

To read newsgroup messages, begin from the Mail window:

1. Double-click a newsgroup server icon to see its newsgroups. (If there are no newsgroups, you may need to subscribe to one.)
2. Click a newsgroup name to see its messages.
3. Click a message to read it. Click the thread button to display all the responses below the original message. You can click any header to display its message. You can start a new thread or post a message in response.

[Return to beginning of section]

Posting Newsgroup Messages

To start new threads (discussions):

1. From the list of your subscribed newsgroups in the Mail window, select a newsgroup.
2. Click Compose.
3. Compose your message, and click Send to post it.
4. Click Get Msgs to see your posting on the newsgroup.

[Return to beginning of section]

Contributing to Ongoing Discussions

To post a response to the newsgroup:

1. In the message list, select a message to reply to.
2. Click Reply.
3. Compose your message, and click Send to post it.

To reply to an individual as well as post a response to the group:

1. In the message list, select a message to reply to.
2. Click Reply All.
3. Compose your message, and click Send to post it.

To redirect a posting to another newsgroup:

• Click Reply and choose Followup-To from the Newsgroup drop-down list. Subsequent responses will be posted to the newsgroup you enter.

[Return to beginning of section]

Monitoring Threads

To monitor unread messages in threads that are of interest to you:

1. Select a message in a thread.
2. Open the Message menu, and choose Watch Thread.
3. If you want to monitor additional threads, repeat steps 1 and 2 for messages in additional threads.
4. When you're ready to monitor messages in these threads, open the View menu, choose Messages, and then choose Watched Threads with Unread. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups only displays the watched threads that contain unread messages.
5. Open the View menu, choose Messages, and then choose All to return to viewing all messages in the newsgroup.

To ignore a message thread:

1. Select a message in the thread.
2. Open the Message menu, and choose Ignore Thread. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups marks all messages in the thread as read, and new replies posted to the thread will appear as read.
3. To view ignored threads, open the View menu, choose Messages, and then choose Ignored Threads.

[Return to beginning of section]

Removing a Newsgroup

To remove a newsgroup from your list:

• Select the newsgroup icon and press Delete.

[Return to beginning of section]

Adding a Newsgroup Server

If the newsgroup you want to subscribe to is on a different server, you must first set up access to that server.

To set up an additional newsgroup server, open the File menu in the Mail window and choose New, then Account.

• Using the Account Wizard, indicate that the new account you want to set up is a newsgroup account.

Once you've set up access to the new server, you can subscribe to newsgroups on that server. In the Mail window, open the File menu, and choose Subscribe.

[Return to beginning of section]

Getting started with Blogs & News Feeds

Subscribing to blogs & news feeds

If you have set up a Blogs & News account, you can subscribe to Blogs & News feeds.

To subscribe to a feed, begin from the Mail window:

1. Get into the Feed Subscriptions dialog. There are several ways to do this:
   • In the accounts pane, click your desired Blogs & News Feeds account to manage, then click in the Manage Subscriptions in the right pane.
   • In the accounts pane, click your desired Blogs & News Feeds account to manage, or a feed inside it, then open the File menu and choose Subscribe.
   • In the accounts pane, right click your desired Blogs & News Feeds account to manage and choose Subscribe...
   • Open the Edit menu and select the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings option. In the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog, click on a Blogs & News Feeds account main section, and then click the Manage Subscriptions... button.
2. Once in the Feed Subscriptions dialog, click the Add button. The Feed properties dialog will appear.
3. Type (or copy and paste) the feed URL into the Feed URL field.
4. Click Store articles in dropdown list to choose the item list where you want the articles to be stored. This allows you to merge multiple feeds in one list item.
5. Set Show the article summary instead of loading the web page to display a brief summary that blog feeds usually include for each article.

   Tip: Showing the article summary reduces the bandwidth traffic and is faster, since the summary is already downloaded when the feed is checked for new items. However, if you usually are interested in the full article, you will save time by unchecking this option.

6. Click OK to confirm the feed addition.

[Return to beginning of section]

Subscribing to blogs & news feeds from a browser window

While browsing the web using &brandShortName;, you may find the Feed discovery icon () while visiting a web page. You can click on it to see a list of available feeds and choose one to get it added to your first Blogs & News Feeds account.

[Return to beginning of section]

Reading blogs & news feeds messages

When you open your Blogs & News account, you see the list of feeds to which you subscribed. &brandShortName; checks and downloads every feed for new messages.

To read blogs & news messages, begin from the Mail window:

1. Double-click a blogs & news account to see its feeds. (If there are no feeds, you may need to subscribe to one.)
2. Click a feed name to see its messages.
3. Click a message to read it. The header will show the original URL of the article, which you can click to open a browser window with the corresponding webpage.

Depending on your settings for the Blogs & News account and each individual feed, the message will be shown in its summarized view or the full view. You can change it by choosing the menu option View, and then Feed Message Body As. You can then select one of these options:

• Web Page: Select this to show the full web page of this message.
• Summary: Select this to show the summarized, short version of this message.
• Default format: Select this to show the article in its default format, as specified in the feed options or, otherwise, the Blogs & News account.

[Return to beginning of section]

Posting blog messages

To post a blog message, you need an account in the corresponding blog. Also, there is no standardized way to post blog messages, so you won't normally be able to post messages from &brandShortName; Mail component. Instead, you will need to open a browser window, log in to your blog account and use the web interface.

Some blog systems, however, allow posting blog messages by sending an email message to a specific address. You will need to find out if your blog service implements this feature, and the correct email address to use.

[Return to beginning of section]

Adding comments to a blog post

Since there is no standardized way to add comments to a blog post, you will usually need to open a browser window and use the web interface.

Some blog systems, however, allow adding comments by sending an email message to a specific address. You will need to find out if the blog service implements this feature, and the correct email address to use.

[Return to beginning of section]

Exporting and importing feeds

If you have set up a Blogs & News account, you can export or import Blogs & News feed collections using the OPML format (Outline Processor Markup Language).

To export the feeds in your selected blogs & news account, begin from the Mail window:

1. In the accounts pane, click your desired Blogs & News account to manage, or a feed inside it.
2. Open the File menu and choose Subscribe (or use any other of the available methods. to access to the Feed Subscriptions dialog box).
3. In the Feed Subscriptions dialog, click the Export button. The Export feeds as an OPML file dialog will appear.
4. Select the directory and filename to save the OPML file, and click Save.

To import the feeds in your selected blogs & news account, begin from the Mail window:

1. In the accounts pane, click your desired Blogs & News account to manage, or a feed inside it.
2. Open the File menu and choose Subscribe (or use any other of the available methods. to access to the Feed Subscriptions dialog box).
3. In the Feed Subscriptions dialog, click the Import button. The Select OPML file to import dialog will appear.
4. Select the directory and filename to load the OPML file, and click Save.
5. All the feeds defined in the OPML file will be added to your blogs & feeds account.

[Return to beginning of section]

Editing a feed

If you want to change the properties of one of the feeds in your blogs & news account, you can edit it.

To edit a feed in your selected blogs & news account, begin from the Mail window:

1. In the accounts pane, click your desired Blogs & News account to manage, or a feed inside it.
2. Open the File menu and choose Subscribe (or use any other of the available methods. to access to the Feed Subscriptions dialog box).
3. In the Feed Subscriptions dialog, click on a feed in the feed list. You may need to expand the folders in the feed list to see each individual feed.
4. Click the Edit button. The Feed properties dialog will appear.
5. You can change where you want the articles to be stored clicking the Store articles in dropdown list.
6. You may mark Show the article summary instead of loading the web page to display a brief summary that blog feeds usually include for each article.

   Tip: Showing the article summary reduces the bandwidth traffic and is faster, since the summary is already downloaded when the feed is checked for new items. However, if you usually are interested in the full article, you will save time by unchecking this option.

7. Click OK to confirm the changes.

[Return to beginning of section]

Removing a feed

If you no longer want to follow one of the feeds in your blogs & news account, you can remove it.

To remove a feed in your selected blogs & news account, begin from the Mail window:

1. In the accounts pane, click your desired Blogs & News account to manage, or a feed inside it.
2. Open the File menu and choose Subscribe (or use any other of the available methods. to access to the Feed Subscriptions dialog box).
3. In the Feed Subscriptions dialog, click on a feed in the feed list. You may need to expand the folders in the feed list to see each individual feed.
4. Click the Remove button. You will be asked to confirm the deletion of the feed.

Note: don't confuse a feed with a folder in a Blogs & News account. Removing a feed doesn't delete the folder in which the feed articles are stored, and thus, such articles will stay in the folder until you delete either the whole folder or the articles themselves. To get a better understanding, see Organizing your feeds later in this section.

[Return to beginning of section]

Using different blogs & news feeds accounts

A single blogs & news feeds account can contain any number of feeds in it, so you don't strictly need more than one blogs & news feeds account. However, you may want to create several blogs & news feeds accounts. Some reasons to do that are:

• You can use different accounts to categorize your feeds. For example, you can create an account named Mozilla News to put in it all your feeds related to Mozilla, and another one named Today Headlines to put in it all your feeds with general news.
• If you have several accounts, each one can have different settings. This way, you can choose, for example, different time intervals for each account (and, therefore, their feeds.)

[Return to beginning of section]

Organizing your feeds

The default operation mode when adding a feed to a Blogs & News Feeds account in &brandShortName; is to create a folder and a feed inside it. However, &brandShortName; allows you a great deal of flexibility. This section helps you to better organize your feeds:

Feeds versus folders

Blogs & News Feeds accounts are organized through two main concepts: feeds and folders.

• Feeds are sources for articles/posts. They provide the means to get new articles from blogs. You subscribe to feeds.
• Folders in Blogs & News Feeds accounts work pretty much like in any other account type. Folders store articles/posts you got through the feeds.

You use the Feed Subscriptions dialog to tell &brandShortName; which feed messages are downloaded in which folders. As feeds provide new articles and folders provide the store to put such articles, you will want to have them connected, usually linking a feed to a folder. However, keep in mind that removing a feed will not automatically delete the associated folder, nor will remove the articles/posts from the removed feed, since they are stored into the folder.

[Return to beginning of section]

Organizing folders in Blogs & News Feeds accounts

You can create, rename, move or copy folders in Blogs & News Feeds accounts just like with any other account type. See Creating a folder, Renaming a folder and Moving or copying a folder for more details.

[Return to beginning of section]

Downloading multiple feeds in a single folder

You may want to use a single folder to store articles/items coming from more than one feed. To do this, you just need to add additional feeds in that folder. Begin from the Mail window:

1. In the accounts pane, click your desired Blogs & News Feeds account to manage, or a feed inside it.
2. Open the File menu and choose Subscribe (or use any other of the available methods. to access to the Feed Subscriptions dialog box).
3. In the Feed Subscriptions dialog, click in the desired folder, then click the Add button. The Feed properties dialog will appear.
4. Type (or copy and paste) the feed URL in the Feed URL field.
5. Click OK to confirm the feed addition.

[Return to beginning of section]

Moving a feed to another folder

You can move a feed from a folder to another one using any of these methods:

• Drag & drop a feed while inside the Feed Subscriptions window.
• Edit the feed to change in what folder it downloads articles/items.

Note: Remember that moving the feed doesn't move existing articles from the folder in which they have been downloaded.

[Return to beginning of section]

Working Offline

Setting Up &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups to Work Offline

&brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups' offline feature lets you download your mail and read it offline (while disconnected from the Internet). If you use a dial-up (modem) connection to access your mail and you want to reduce the time you are connected, or, if you need to temporarily disconnect from your company's network while traveling or switching locations, you can download your mail so that you can read it offline. The offline feature can automatically download incoming messages and then later send all your outgoing messages when you reconnect.

Note that for POP accounts your mail is already downloaded by default, so most of these offline features aren't relevant for POP accounts.

If you occasionally want to work offline, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups lets you easily:

• Download your Inbox for offline use.
• Download an individual folder for offline use.
• Download only selected or flagged messages for offline use.
• Download directory entries in your address book for offline use.

If you frequently work offline, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups also lets you:

• Set up one or more of your accounts for offline use.
• Set offline and disk space preferences for each account.
• Select the folders and newsgroups that you want to view offline.

[Return to beginning of section]

Downloading All Messages for Offline Use

You can tell &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups to automatically download your messages for offline use. Later, when you go back online, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups automatically synchronizes your messages with the server.

Note that the Inbox for POP accounts is downloaded by default, so this section does not apply for POP accounts.

To automatically download your messages for offline use, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Edit menu and choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box.
2. In the left side of the dialog box, under the name of the account you want to use offline, select Synchronization & Storage. (This category is not available for POP accounts.)
3. Check the box labeled Keep messages for this account on this computer.
4. Click OK.
5. Click the Online/Offline indicator in the lower right corner of the Mail window (to the left of the Cookie icon) to go offline. You will be asked to download messages for them to be available while offline. Click on Download to proceed.

Note: This setting also applies to any new folders created. While the per-account setting can be overridden for an individual folder, those per-folder settings are removed when the Keep messages box is toggled.

&brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups automatically downloads all messages in your Inbox so you can read and respond to them while working offline. After disconnecting, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups remains open so you can continue to work with your messages.

To reconnect to the Internet so you can work online:

• Click the Online/Offline indicator in the lower right corner of the Mail window (to the left of the Cookie icon) to go back online.

When you go back online, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups automatically synchronizes your Inbox messages with the server, by replicating any changes you made while working offline.

Tip: &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups saves any messages that you send while working offline in the Unsent Messages folder under Local Folders. To have &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups automatically send your unsent messages when you reconnect, use the Preferences command on the &brandShortName; Edit menu to change the offline preferences for all your accounts.

[Return to beginning of section]

Downloading an Individual Folder for Offline Use

Note that POP accounts don't allow you to manage folders on the POP server, so this section does not apply to POP accounts.

To download a specific folder for offline use, begin from the Mail window:

1. In the left side of the Mail window, select the folder that you want to download for offline use.
2. Open the Edit menu, and choose Folder Properties. You see the Properties dialog box.
3. Click the Synchronization tab.
4. Check Select this folder for offline use.
5. Click Download Now if you want to immediately begin downloading the folder's messages. Alternatively, you can continue working, and when you are ready to go offline, proceed to the next step.
6. Click the Online/Offline indicator in the lower right corner of the Mail window to go offline.
7. In the Work Offline dialog box, click Download.

&brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups automatically downloads all messages in the selected folder so you can read and respond to them while working offline. After disconnecting, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups remains open so you can continue to work with your messages.

Note: Message headers that have been downloaded for reading offline display a darker gray envelope or newsgroup icon.

To reconnect to the Internet so you can work online:

• Click the Online/Offline indicator in the lower right corner of the Mail window (to the left of the Cookie icon) to go back online.

&brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups automatically synchronizes the offline folders with the server, by replicating any changes you made while working offline.

Tip: &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups saves any messages that you sent while working offline in the Unsent Messages folder under Local Folders. When you reconnect, choose Send Unsent Messages from the File menu to send all your saved messages at once. To have &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups automatically send your unsent messages when you reconnect, use the Preferences command on the &brandShortName; Edit menu to change your offline preferences.

[Return to beginning of section]

Downloading Selected or Flagged Messages for Offline Use

Note that messages are downloaded by default for POP accounts. However, if you have enabled the Fetch headers only setting in the POP account settings, then only the headers will be downloaded, and you will need to use the commands in this section to download the complete messages.

To download selected messages for offline use, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select a Mail or Newsgroup folder to display its messages.
2. Select the messages you want to download, as follows:
   • To select a group of adjacent messages, click the first message, and then Shift-click to select the last message in the group.
   • To select messages anywhere in the message list, hold down the CmdCtrl key and click each message.
3. Open the File menu, choose Offline, and then choose Get Selected Messages from the submenu. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups downloads the selected messages.

To download flagged messages for offline use, begin from the Mail window:

1. Select a Mail or Newsgroup folder to display its messages.
2. Click in the flag column of each message you want to download. A flag appears where you clicked to indicate that the message has been marked. If the flag column is not visible, click the Show/Hide Columns icon and select Flag from the list.
3. Open the File menu, choose Offline, and then choose Get Flagged Messages. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups downloads the flagged messages.

Once downloading is complete, click the Online/Offline indicator in the lower right corner of the Mail window (to the left of the Cookie icon) to go offline. After you disconnect, &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups remains open so you can continue to work with your messages.

Note that the Get Selected Messages and Get Flagged Messages menu items are also available in the pop-up thread context menu, for faster access.

Note: Message headers that have been downloaded for reading offline display a darker gray envelope or newsgroup icon.

To reconnect to the Internet so you can work online:

• Click the Online/Offline indicator in the lower right corner of the Mail window to go online.

Tip: &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups saves any messages that you sent while working offline in the Unsent Messages folder under Local Folders. When you reconnect, choose Send Unsent Messages from the File menu to send all your saved messages at once. To have &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups automatically send your unsent messages when you reconnect, use the Preferences command on the &brandShortName; Edit menu to change your offline preferences.

[Return to beginning of section]

Downloading Directory Entries for Offline Use

You can download (replicate) the entries in a directory server to your computer so that they are available when you work offline. Once you've downloaded directory entries, you can use the same procedure to update your local copy of the entries with the latest entries on the directory server.

To download or update an address book LDAP directory for offline use:

1. Make sure you're online.
2. Open the Window menu, and choose Address Book.
3. In the Address Book window, select the directory that you want to download (replicate).
4. Click Properties in the Address Book toolbar. The Directory Server Properties dialog box appears.
5. Click the Offline tab.
6. Click Download Now to start copying the entries to your computer.
7. If prompted, enter your network user name and password, and click OK to start the download.

   Depending on the number of directory entries, the download process may take a while, so please be patient.

After the download finishes, you can work offline and search the directory or use it for address autocompletion when composing messages. After you've been using your local copy of the directory for a while, you may wish to update it to get the latest entries from the directory server. To update your local copy, use the procedure described above.

[Return to beginning of section]

Setting Up Your Accounts for Working Offline

To set up one or more accounts for working offline, you use the Offline and Disk Space preferences in the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box. Once set, you don't need to change these preferences each time you want to work offline. The offline and disk space preferences you can set for an account depend on the type of account (IMAP, POP, or Newsgroup).

Here's a summary of the steps you will follow to set up your accounts for offline use:

1. For each account that you want to work with while offline, use the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box to set the Synchronization & Storage preferences for that account. You must select the items (folders and newsgroups) that you want to download for offline use. See Selecting Items for Offline Viewing for more information.

   Once set, you don't need to change these settings. See the sections below for information on setting offline and disk space preferences for IMAP, POP, Blogs, and Newsgroup accounts.

   Tip: To set the Synchronization & Storage preferences for the current account, open the File menu, choose Offline, and then choose Offline Settings.

2. Open the File menu, choose Offline, and then choose Download/Sync Now from the submenu.
3. Select the type of messages (mail or newsgroup or both) that you want to download.

   Important: You must select at least one category (mail messages or newsgroup messages) in order for the download to work.

4. Select Work offline once download and/or sync is complete.
5. Click OK to download the selected items and then go offline. See Downloading and Synchronizing Your Messages for more information.

For subsequent offline sessions, you can skip step 1.

[Return to beginning of section]

Selecting Items for Offline Viewing

Before you can read mail and newsgroup messages while offline, you must first select them for downloading. You can set up an entire account for offline use. You can also choose which folders and newsgroups that you want to use offline.

Note: Keep in mind that selecting more items may increase download time and disk space used.

To select accounts, folders, and newsgroups for offline viewing, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the Edit menu, choose Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings. You see the Mail & Newsgroups Account Settings dialog box.
2. Choose the Synchronization & Storage category for the account you want to change.
3. Click Advanced to see your IMAP folders, or Select newsgroups for offline use for your subscribed newsgroups.

   Note: You see only the newsgroups and folders that you've already subscribed to. POP accounts and local mail folders don't appear in the list.

4. Select the items (folders, newsgroups) that you want to make available for offline use.
5. Click OK.

Once set, you don't need to change these settings each time you want to go offline. However, if you do want to change them, you can easily do so before going offline, since the same Select button is available when using the Download and Sync command.

[Return to beginning of section]

Downloading and Synchronizing Your Messages

If you have already selected mail folders and newsgroups for offline use, you are now ready to download and synchronize them. If you haven't yet selected items to download, you can choose them before you go offline.

If you are not already viewing the Download/Sync Now dialog box, follow these steps:

To download and synchronize your messages, begin from the Mail window:

1. Open the File menu, choose Offline, and then choose Download/Sync Now.
2. Select the categories (mail messages or newsgroup messages) that you want to download.

   Important: You must select at least one category (Mail messages, Newsgroup messages) in order for the download to work. If the checkboxes are disabled, it means that you haven't yet selected items to download. Use the Select button to select items to download.

3. To send messages in your Unsent Messages folder before going offline, check Send Unsent Messages.
4. To go offline immediately after &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups finishes downloading, select Work offline once download and/or sync is complete.
5. To set or change the items to download, click Select. See Selecting Items for Offline Viewing for more information. You can skip this step if you've already selected items for download.
6. Click OK. &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups begins downloading the selected items.

If you chose to work offline once the download completes, then &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups immediately switches to offline mode. Otherwise, when you are ready to go offline, click the Online/Offline indicator in the lower right corner of the Mail window to go offline.

[Return to beginning of section]

Working Offline and Reconnecting Later

To work offline and reconnect later, begin from the Mail window.

When you are ready to work offline:

1. Click the online/offline indicator in the lower-right corner of the Mail window. Mail & Newsgroups prompts you to download messages, if you want, before going offline.
2. Click Download to download messages before going offline. If you want to work offline without downloading messages, click Don't Download.

Note: Message headers that have been downloaded for reading offline display a darker gray envelope or newsgroup icon.

Tip: To set &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups' download behavior when going offline, open the &brandShortName; Edit menu, choose Preferences, and then under the Mail & Newsgroups category, select Network & Storage (if no subcategories are visible, double-click Mail & Newsgroups to expand the list). You can choose to have &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups prompt you to download messages when going offline, to automatically download messages, or to not download any messages.

To reconnect and synchronize your messages:

1. Click the online/offline indicator in the lower-right corner of any &brandShortName; window.
2. Open the File menu, choose Offline, and then choose Download/Sync Now.

&brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups synchronizes your messages with the server by replicating any changes you made while working offline.

Tip: To set &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups' behavior when going online, open the &brandShortName; Edit menu, choose Preferences, and then choose the Synchronization & Storage category. You can choose to have &brandShortName; Mail & Newsgroups prompt you to send unsent messages, to automatically send unsent messages, or to not send unsent messages.

[Return to beginning of section]