fe922f6437
2000-07-19 Aaron Weber <aaron@helixcode.com> * C/usage-mail.sgml: lots of minor fixes to language. added desc. of clahey's cool button-address thing. * C/usage-mainwindow.sgml: fixed itemizedlists, ch. to shortcut bar & folder descs, removed refs to trash. svn path=/trunk/; revision=4219
1008 lines
38 KiB
Plaintext
1008 lines
38 KiB
Plaintext
<!--
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<!DOCTYPE Chapter PUBLIC "-//GNOME//DTD DocBook PNG Variant V1.1//EN">
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-->
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<chapter id="usage-mail">
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<title>Evolution Mail</title>
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<abstract>
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<title> An Overview of the Evolution Mailer</title>
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<para>
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<application>Evolution</application> email is like other email
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programs in all the ways you would hope:
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<itemizedlist>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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It can sort and organize your mail in a wide variety of ways with
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folders, searches, and filters.
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</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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It can send and recieve mail in HTML or as plain text, and
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supports file attachments.
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</para>
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</listitem>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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It supports multiple mail sources, including IMAP, POP3,
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and local <filename>mbox</filename> files.
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</para>
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</listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</para>
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<para>
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However, <application>Evolution</application> has some important
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differences. First, it's built to handle very large amounts of
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mail without slowing down or crashing. Both the <link
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linkend="usage-mail-organize-filters">filtering</link> and <link
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linkend="usage-mail-organize-search">searching</link> functions
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were built for speed and efficiency on gargantuan mail
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volumes. There's also the <application>Evolution</application>
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<link linkend="usage-mail-organize-vFolders">vFolder</link>, an
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advanced organizational feature not found in other mail clients.
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If you get a lot of mail, or if you keep every message you get
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in case you need to refer to it later, you'll find that feature
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especially useful.
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</para>
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<para>
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You can start reading email by clicking
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<guibutton>Inbox</guibutton> in the shortcut bar. By
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default, the <interface>Inbox</interface> is open when you
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start <application>Evolution</application>, and the first
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time you see your inbox, there's a message in it from Helix
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Code welcoming you to the application.
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</para>
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</abstract>
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<sect1 id="usage-mail-getnsend">
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<title>Reading, Getting and Sending Mail</title>
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<sect2 id="usage-mail-getnsend-read">
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<title>Reading a Message</title>
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<para>
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The first time you open your
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<application>Evolution</application>
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<guilabel>Inbox</guilabel>, you will see a window like the one
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in <xref linkend="usage-mail-intro-fig">, with a message from
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Helix Code in the <interface>message list</interface>. The
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message is displayed below that, in the <interface>view
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pane</interface>. If you find the <interface>view
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pane</interface> too small, you can double-click on the
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message in the <interface>message list</interface> to have it
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open in a new window. As is the case with folders, you can
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right-click on messages in the message list and get a menu of
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possible actions.
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</para>
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<para>
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Go ahead and click on the message in the <interface>message
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list</interface>. That selects the message. Then click on
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the <guibutton>Delete</guibutton> button in the tool bar. The
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message now has a line through it, because you've marked it
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for deletion. If you really want to get rid of it, choose
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<guimenuitem>Expunge</guimenuitem> from the
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<guimenu>Tools</guimenu> menu. That will delete it
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permanently. If you want to keep it, click
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<guibutton>Delete</guibutton> again, and it will no longer be
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marked as deleted. At some point in the future, this feature
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will change to something a little less counter-intuitive.
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</para>
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<!-- ==============Figure=================================== -->
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<figure id="usage-mail-intro-fig">
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<title>Evolution Mail</title>
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<screenshot>
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<screeninfo>Inbox</screeninfo>
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<graphic fileref="fig/mail-pic" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
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</graphic>
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</screenshot>
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</figure>
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<!-- ==============End of Figure============================== -->
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="usage-mail-getnsend-get">
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<title>Getting Mail</title>
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<para>
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To check your email, just click <guibutton>Get
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mail</guibutton> in the toolbar. If this is the first time
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you've done so, the <interface>mail setup
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assistant</interface> will ask you for the information it
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needs to check your mail (see <xref
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linkend="config-setupassist"> for more information). Then,
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<application>Evolution</application> will download your mail.
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New mail will appear in your <interface>Inbox</interface>.
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<!-- FIXME: add mention of Today if Today feature appears -->
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</para>
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<para>
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If you get an error message instead of mail, you probably
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need to change your network settings. To learn how to
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do that, have a look at <xref
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linkend="config-prefs-mail-network">, or ask your system
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administrator.
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</para>
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<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-get-attach">
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<title>Attachments, HTML Mail, and Live Documents</title>
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<para>
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If someone sends you a file attached to an email (an
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"attachment"), <application>Evolution</application> will
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display the file at the bottom of the message to which it's
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attached. Text, HTML, and most images will be displayed in
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the message itself. For other files,
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<application>Evolution</application> will provide a link and
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icon at the end of the message. Click on that, and
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<application>Evolution</application> will ask you where you
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want to put the file. Once you've chosen one and saved the
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file, you can open, move, copy, or execute it just like any
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other, using <application>Nautilus</application> or your
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favorite shell or file manager.
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</para>
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<para>
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<application>Evolution</application> can also display
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HTML-formatted mail, complete with graphics. HTML
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formatting will display automatically, although you can
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turn it off if you prefer.
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</para>
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<!-- ######## Feature will probably not be implemented ******
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<para>
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It can also display <glossterm>live
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documents</glossterm>, which have scripted or
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executable contents— for example, a working
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spreadsheet page or a chess game.
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</para>
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-->
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</sect3>
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</sect2>
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<sect2 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send">
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<title>Writing and Sending Mail</title>
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<para>
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You can start writing a new email message by selecting
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<guimenuitem>New Mail</guimenuitem> from the <guimenu>File
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Menu</guimenu>, or by pressing the
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<guibutton>Send</guibutton> in the Inbox toolbar. <!-- THIS
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IS A BAD BUTTON NAME AND MUST BE FIXED --> When you do so,
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the <interface>New Message</interface> window will open, as
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shown in <xref linkend="usage-mail-newmsg-fig">.
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</para>
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<!-- ==============Figure=================================== -->
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<figure id="usage-mail-newmsg-fig">
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<title>New Message Window</title>
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<screenshot>
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<screeninfo>Evolution Main Window</screeninfo>
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<graphic fileref="fig/newmsg-pic" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
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</graphic>
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</screenshot>
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</figure>
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<!-- ==============End of Figure=================================== -->
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<!-- Check the alignment of the following paragraph in the PS and
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HTML output: it's indented for no good reason -->
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<para>
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Enter an address in the <guilabel>To:</guilabel> field, a
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subject in the <guilabel>Subject:</guilabel> and a message in
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the big empty box at the bottom of the window, and press
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<guibutton>Send</guibutton>. That's easy. It may even be
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too easy, which is why I like to queue my messages up to be
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sent a few minutes later.
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<tip id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-attach-tip">
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<title>Send Now, Send Later</title>
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<para>
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Evolution will send mail immediately unless you tell it to
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do otherwise by selecting <guimenuitem>Send
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Later</guimenuitem> from the <guimenu>MENU</guimenu> in
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the message composition window. Then, when you press
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<guibutton>Send</guibutton>, all your unsent messages will
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go out at once. I like to use "Send Later" because it
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gives me a chance to change my mind about a message before
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it goes out. That way, I don't send anything I'll regret
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the next day.
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</para>
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<para>
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To learn more about how you can specify message queue
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and filter behavior, see <xref linkend="config-prefs-mail">.
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</para>
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</tip>
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</para>
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<para>
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You can probably guess the purpose of the buttons labelled
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<guilabel>Cut</guilabel>, <guilabel>Copy</guilabel>,
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<guilabel>Paste</guilabel> and <guilabel>Undo</guilabel>, but
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there's a bit more to sending mail that's less obvious. In
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the next few sections, you'll see how
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<application>Evolution</application> handles additional
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features, including mailing lists, attachments, and
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forwarding.
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</para>
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<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-to">
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<title>Choosing Recipients</title>
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<para>
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If you have created address cards in the contact manager,
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you can also enter nicknames or other portions of address
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data, and <application>Evolution</application> will complete
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the address for you. <!-- (INSERT description of UI for this
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feature, once it is decided upon). --> If you enter a name or
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nickname that can go with more than one card, Evolution will
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open a dialog box to ask you which person you meant.
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</para>
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<para>
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Alternately, you can click on the
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<guibutton>To:</guibutton>, <guibutton>Cc:</guibutton>, or
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<guibutton>Bcc:</guibutton> buttons to get a list of email
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addresses. Click the checkboxes next to the addresses, then
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click <guibutton>OK</guibutton>, and the address will be
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added to the appropriate form field.
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</para>
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<para>
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For more information about using email
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together with the contact manager and the calendar, see
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<xref linkend="usage-contact-automate"> and <xref
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linkend="usage-calendar-apts-group">.
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</para>
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<sect4 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-to-mult">
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<title>Multiple Recipients</title>
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<para>
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In addition, you can mark recipients in three different
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ways. The <guilabel>To:</guilabel> field is for the
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primary recipients of the message you are going to send.
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However, it is considered bad form to have more than a few
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email addresses in this section.
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</para>
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<para>
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If you're writing to one person, but want to keep a third
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party up to date, you can use <guilabel>Cc:</guilabel>.
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Hearkening back to the dark ages when people used
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typewriters and there were no copy machines, "Cc" stands
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for "Carbon Copy." Use it whenever you want to share a
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message you've written to someone else.
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<example>
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<title>Using the Cc: field</title>
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<para>
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Say, for example, Susan sends an email to a client.
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She puts her co-worker, Tim, in the in the
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<guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> field, so that he know
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what's going on. The client can see that Tim also
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recieved the message, and knows that he can talk to
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Tim about the message as well.
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</para>
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</example>
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</para>
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<para>
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If you have a large number of recipients, or if you want
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to send mail to several people without sharing the
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recipient list, you should use
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<guilabel>Bcc:</guilabel>. "Bcc" stands for "Blind Carbon
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Copy", and means that people you put in the
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<guilabel>Bcc:</guilabel> field get the message, but
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nobody else sees their email address. They will still see
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the list of addresses from the <guilabel>To:</guilabel>
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and <guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> fields, though.
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<example id="ex-mail-bcc">
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<title>Using the Bcc: field</title>
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<para>
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Tim is sending an email announcement to all of his
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company's clients, some of whom are in competition
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with each other, and all of whom value their
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privacy. He needs to use the
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<guilabel>Bcc:</guilabel> field here. If he puts
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every address from his address book's "Clients"
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category into the <guilabel>To:</guilabel> or
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<guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> fields, he'll make the
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company's <emphasis>entire</emphasis> client list
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public. Don't assume it won't happen to you!
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</para>
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</example>
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</para>
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</sect4>
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</sect3>
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<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-reply">
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<title>Replying to Messages</title>
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<para>
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In order to reply to a message, click on it once in the
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message list to select it. Then press the
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<guibutton>Reply</guibutton> button. A window like the
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<interface>New Message</interface> window will appear, but
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the subject will already be present— the same subject
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as the message to which you are replying, but with Re:
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before it, to mark it as a reply. In addition, the full
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text of the previous message is inserted into the new
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message, either in italics (for HTML display) or with the
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> character (in plain text mode) before each line. This
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indicates quoting. You can intersperse your message with
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the quoted material as shown in <xref
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linkend="usage-mail-getnsend-reply-fig">
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<!-- note that this figure should have a reply mail ready to send,
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with quoted materials and the relevant replies interspersed-->
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<!-- ==============Figure=================================== -->
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<figure id="usage-mail-getnsend-reply-fig">
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<title>Reply Message Window</title>
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<screenshot>
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<screeninfo>Evolution Main Window</screeninfo>
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<graphic fileref="fig/replymsg" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
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</graphic>
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</screenshot>
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</figure>
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<!-- ==============End of Figure=================================== -->
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</para>
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<para>
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If a message has several recipients, as in the case of
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mailing lists or messages that have been carbon copied, you
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may wish to click <guibutton>Reply to All</guibutton>
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instead of <guibutton>Reply</guibutton>. If there are large
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numbers of people in the <guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> or
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<guilabel>To:</guilabel> fields, this can save substantial
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amounts of time. But be careful, and always make sure you
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know who is getting a message: it could be a mailing list
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with thousands of subscribers.
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<example>
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<title>Using the Reply-To feature</title>
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<para>
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Susan sends an email to a client, and sends copies to
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Tim and to an internal company mailing list of
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co-workers. If Tim wants to make a comment to all of
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them, he uses <guibutton>Reply to All</guibutton>, but
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if he just wants to tell Susan that he agrees with her,
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he uses <guibutton>Reply</guibutton>.
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</para>
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</example>
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</para>
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</sect3>
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<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-html">
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<title>Embellish your email with HTML</title>
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<para>
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You can't normally use text treatments or pictures in
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emails, which is why you've probably seen people use
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asterisks for emphasis or use
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<glossterm>emoticons</glossterm> to convey their
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feelings. However, most of the newer email programs can
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include and display images and text treatments as well as
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basic alignment and paragraph formatting.
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</para>
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<note>
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<title>HTML Mail is not a Default Setting</title>
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<para>
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Some people do not have HTML-capable mail clients, or
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prefer not to receive HTML-enhanced mail because it is
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slower to download and display. <emphasis>Some</emphasis>
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people refer to HTML mail as "the root of all evil" and
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get very angry if you send them HTML mail, which is why
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<application>Evolution</application> sends plain text
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unless you explicitly ask for HTML. To send HTML mail,
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you will need to select <guilabel>Send Messages as
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HTML</guilabel> in the mail settings dialog box. See
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<xref linkend="config-prefs-mail-other"> for more information.
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</para>
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<para>
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If you format a message with HTML, but do not have
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<guilabel>Send Messages as HTML</guilabel> enabled in your
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mail settings, the composer will remove your text styles.
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It will, however, preserve indentation and lists. The
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same is true for individuals in your address book whom you
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have not marked as wanting to receive HTML mail.
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</para>
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</note>
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<para>
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HTML formatting tools are located just above the
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composition frame, and in the <guimenu>Insert</guimenu> and
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<guimenu>Format</guimenu> menus. Your message text will
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appear formatted in the composer window, and the message
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will be sent as HTML.
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</para>
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<para>
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The icons in the toolbar are explained in tool-tips, which
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appear when you hold your mouse over the buttons. The
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buttons fall into four categories:
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<variablelist>
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<varlistentry>
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<term>Headers and lists</term>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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Choose <guilabel>Normal</guilabel> for a default
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text style, or <guilabel>Header 1</guilabel> through
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<guilabel>Header 6</guilabel> for varying sizes of
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header. You can also select
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<guilabel>pre</guilabel> for preformatted text
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blocks, and three types of <guilabel>List
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Item</guilabel>.
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</para>
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</listitem>
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</varlistentry>
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<varlistentry>
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<term>Text style</term>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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<itemizedlist mark="none">
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<listitem><para><guilabel>B</guilabel> is for bold text</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><guilabel>I</guilabel> for italics</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><guilabel>U</guilabel> to underline</para></listitem>
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<listitem><para><guilabel>S</guilabel> for a strikethrough.</para></listitem>
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</itemizedlist>
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</para>
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</listitem>
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</varlistentry>
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<varlistentry>
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<term>Alignment</term>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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Located next to the text style buttons,
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these three paragraph icons should be familiar to
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users of most word processing software. The
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leftmost button will make your text left-justified,
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the center button, centered, and the right hand
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button, right-justified.
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</para>
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</listitem>
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</varlistentry>
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<varlistentry>
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<term>Indentation rules</term>
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<listitem>
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<para>
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The button with the arrow pointing left will reduce
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a paragraph's indentation, and the right arrow will
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increase its indentation.
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</para>
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</listitem>
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</varlistentry>
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</variablelist>
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</para>
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<para>
|
|
There are two tools that you can find only in the
|
|
<guimenu>Insert</guimenu> menu.
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
<guilabel>Insert Link</guilabel>: Use this tool to
|
|
put hyperlinks in your HTML messages. When you
|
|
select it, <application>Evolution</application> will
|
|
prompt you for the <guilabel>Text</guilabel> that
|
|
will appear, and the <guilabel>Link</guilabel>, where
|
|
you should enter the actual web address (URL).
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
<guilabel>Insert Image</guilabel>: Select this item to
|
|
embed image into your email, as was done in the welcome
|
|
message. Images will appear at the location of the
|
|
cursor.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
<note>
|
|
<title>A Technical note on HTML Tags</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
The composer is a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get)
|
|
editor for HTML. That means that if you enter HTML
|
|
directly into the composer— say, <markup
|
|
role="html"><B>Bold Text</B></markup>, the
|
|
the composer will assume you meant exactly that string
|
|
of characters, and not "make this text bold," as an HTML
|
|
composition tool or text editor would.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</note>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-attach">
|
|
<title>Attachments</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
If you want to attach a file to your email message, you
|
|
can drag it from your desktop into the message window, or
|
|
click the button in the toolbar with a paper clip on it,
|
|
labelled <guibutton>Attach</guibutton>. If you click the
|
|
<guibutton>Attach</guibutton> button,
|
|
<application>Evolution</application> will open a file
|
|
selection dialog box, to ask you which file you want to
|
|
send. Select the file and click <guilabel>OK</guilabel>.
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>
|
|
When you send the message, a copy of the file will
|
|
go with it. Be aware that big attachments can take a long
|
|
time to download.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
|
|
<!-- Function not implemented,
|
|
possibly never will be due to security evil. -->
|
|
<!--
|
|
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-live">
|
|
<title>Live Documents</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Later versions of <application>Evolution</application>
|
|
will allow you to enliven your email with almost any
|
|
sort of document, and even with entire
|
|
applications. At this point, however, this feature has not
|
|
yet been implemented.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
-->
|
|
|
|
<sect3 id="usage-getnsend-fwd">
|
|
<title>Forwarding Mail</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
The post office forwards your mail for you when you change
|
|
addresses, and you can forward mail when you get a letter by
|
|
mistake. The email <guilabel>Forward</guilabel> command
|
|
works in much the same way. It's particularly useful if you
|
|
have received a message and you think someone else would
|
|
like to see it. You can forward a message as an attachment
|
|
to a new message (this is the default) or
|
|
you can send it <glossterm>inline</glossterm> as a quoted
|
|
portion of the message you are sending. Attachment
|
|
forwarding is best if you want to send the full, unaltered
|
|
message on to someone else. Inline forwarding is best if
|
|
you want to send portions of a message, or if you have a
|
|
large number of comments on different sections of the
|
|
message you are forwarding. Remember to note from whom the
|
|
message came, and where, if at all, you have removed or
|
|
altered content.
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>
|
|
To forward a message, first make sure it is selected by
|
|
clicking it once in the message list. Then, press
|
|
<guibutton>Forward</guibutton> on the toolbar, or select
|
|
<guimenuitem>Forward</guimenuitem> from the
|
|
<guimenu>Message</guimenu> menu. To forward a message
|
|
<glossterm>inline</glossterm> instead of attached, select
|
|
<guimenuitem>Forward Inline</guimenuitem> from the
|
|
<guimenu>Message</guimenu> menu. Choose an addressee as you
|
|
would when sending a new message; the subject will already
|
|
be entered, but you can alter it. Enter your comments on
|
|
the message in the <interface>composition frame</interface>,
|
|
and press <guibutton>Send</guibutton>.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-ettiquette">
|
|
<title>Seven Tips for Email Usage</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
I started with ten, but four were "Don't send
|
|
<glossterm>spam</glossterm>."
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Don't send spam or forward chain mail. If you must,
|
|
watch out for hoaxes and urban legends, and make sure
|
|
the message doesn't have multiple layers of email
|
|
quotation symbols (>) indicating multiple layers
|
|
of careless inline forwarding.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Always begin and close with a salutation. Say
|
|
"please" and "thank you", just like you do in real
|
|
life. You can keep your pleasantries short, but be pleasant!
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
ALL CAPS MEANS YOU'RE SHOUTING!
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Never write anything in email you wouldn't say in
|
|
public. Old messages have a nasty habit of
|
|
resurfacing when you least expect them to.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Check your spelling and use complete sentences.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Don't send nasty emails (flames). If you get one,
|
|
don't write back.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
When you reply or forward, include just enough of
|
|
the previous message to provide context: not too
|
|
much, not too little.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para> Happy mailing! </para>
|
|
</sect3>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
|
|
<sect1 id="usage-mail-organize">
|
|
<title>Organizing Your Mail</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Even if you only get a few email messages a day, you probably
|
|
want to sort and organize them. When you get a hundred a day
|
|
and you want to refer to a message you received six weeks ago,
|
|
you <emphasis>need</emphasis> to sort and organize them.
|
|
Fortunately, <application>Evolution</application> has the tools
|
|
to help you do it.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<sect2 id="usage-mail-organize-folders">
|
|
<title>Getting Organized with Folders</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
<application>Evolution</application> keeps mail, as well as
|
|
address cards and calendars, in folders. You start out with a
|
|
few, like <guilabel>Inbox</guilabel>,
|
|
<guilabel>Outbox</guilabel>, and <guilabel>Drafts</guilabel>,
|
|
but you can create as many as you like. Create new folders by
|
|
selecting <guisubmenu>New</guisubmenu> and then
|
|
<guimenuitem>Folder</guimenuitem> from the
|
|
<guimenu>File</guimenu> menu.
|
|
<application>Evolution</application> will as you for the name
|
|
and the type of the folder, and will provide you with a folder
|
|
tree so you can pick where it goes.
|
|
<note>
|
|
<title>Folders have Limits</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
You can always place a folder inside other folders,
|
|
regardless of folder type. However, calendars,
|
|
contacts, and mail can't go into the same
|
|
folder. Calendars have to go in calendar folders, mail
|
|
in mail folders, and contacts in contact folders.
|
|
FIXME: should this go in a different section?
|
|
</para>
|
|
</note>
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>
|
|
When you click <guibutton>OK</guibutton>, your new folder will
|
|
appear in the <interface>folder view</interface>. You can
|
|
then put messages in it by dragging and dropping them. If you
|
|
create a filter with the <interface>filter
|
|
assistant</interface>, you can have mail moved to your folder
|
|
automatically.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
<sect2 id="usage-mail-organize-search">
|
|
<title>Searching for Messages</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Most mail clients can search through your messages for you,
|
|
but <application>Evolution</application> does it faster. You
|
|
can search through just the message subjects, just the message
|
|
body, or both body and subject.
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>
|
|
To start searching, enter a word or phrase in the text area
|
|
right below the toolbar, and choose a search type:
|
|
<variablelist>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term><guilabel>Body or subject contains:</guilabel></term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
This will search message subjects and the messages
|
|
themselves for the word or phrase you've entered in
|
|
the search field.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term> <guilabel>Body contains:</guilabel> </term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
This will search only in message text, not the subject
|
|
lines.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term><guilabel>Subject contains:</guilabel></term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
This will show you messages where the search text is
|
|
in the subject line. It will not search in the
|
|
message body.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term><guilabel>Body does not contain:</guilabel></term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
This finds every email message that does not have the
|
|
search text in the message body. It will still show
|
|
messages that have the search text in the subject
|
|
line, if it is not also in the body.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term><guilabel>Subject does not contain:</guilabel></term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
This finds every mail whose subject does not contain
|
|
the search text.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
</variablelist>
|
|
|
|
Then, press <keycap>Enter</keycap>.
|
|
<application>Evolution</application> will show your search
|
|
results in the message list.
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
<sect2 id="usage-mail-organize-filters">
|
|
<title>Staying organized: Mail Filters in Evolution</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Filters sort your email for you. People who subscribe to
|
|
multiple mailing lists, or who often need to refer to messages
|
|
they have sent, find filters especially helpful to seperate
|
|
personal from list-related mail, but they're good for anybody
|
|
who gets more than a few messages a day. To create a filter,
|
|
select <guimenuitem>Filter Assistant</guimenuitem> from the
|
|
<guimenu>Tools</guimenu> menu. This will bring up a window
|
|
which will guide you through filter creation. The
|
|
<interface>filter assistant</interface> is shown in <xref
|
|
linkend="usage-mail-filters-fig-new">
|
|
|
|
|
|
<figure id="usage-mail-filters-fig-new">
|
|
<title>Creating a new Filter</title>
|
|
<screenshot>
|
|
<screeninfo>Creating a new Filter</screeninfo>
|
|
<graphic fileref="fig/filter-new-fig" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
|
|
</graphic>
|
|
</screenshot>
|
|
</figure>
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para> The <interface>filter assistant</interface> window
|
|
contains a window listing rules, and an option to create a
|
|
new rule. To start filtering your mail, click
|
|
<guibutton>Add</guibutton> to add a filtering rule.
|
|
You'll decide when it should take place:
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
<guilabel>When mail arrives:</guilabel> Select
|
|
this option to have messages filtered as they
|
|
arrive.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
<guilabel>When mail is sent:</guilabel> Select
|
|
this option to filter your outgoing mail. You
|
|
can use this feature to keep your
|
|
<interface>Outbox</interface> as organized as
|
|
your <interface>Inbox</interface>.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
Then, the filter assistant will ask you which emails it should
|
|
act upon. You can set criteria based on message size, the
|
|
sender, primary addressee or cc: list, or words in the subject
|
|
or body of the message. Once you've decided which messages to
|
|
filter, the assistant will ask you the sort of action you wish
|
|
to take. You can file, delete, or forward the message, and you
|
|
can also have it be exempted from other filters which would
|
|
otherwise have acted upon it.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
|
|
<note>
|
|
<title>Two Notable Filter Features</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
<itemizedlist>
|
|
<listitem><para>Any incoming email that does not meet
|
|
filter action criteria remains in the Inbox. </para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
|
|
<listitem><para>If you move a folder, your filters
|
|
will follow it. </para></listitem>
|
|
</itemizedlist>
|
|
</para>
|
|
</note>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
<sect2 id="usage-mail-organize-vFolders">
|
|
<title>Getting Really Organized with Virtual Folders</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
If you find that filters aren't flexible enough for you, or
|
|
end up performing the same search again and again, consider a
|
|
virtual folder. Virtual folders, or vFolders, are an advanced
|
|
way of viewing your email messages within
|
|
<application>Evolution</application>. If you get a lot of
|
|
mail or often forget where you put messages, vFolders can help
|
|
you stay on top of things.
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>
|
|
A vFolder is really a hybrid of all the other organizational
|
|
tools: it looks like a folder, it acts like a search, and you
|
|
set it up like a filter. Once you've set it up, you'll be
|
|
able to open it and read the messages in it as though it were
|
|
a normal mail folder. It's not a folder, though, because when
|
|
you open a vFolder, <application>Evolution</application>
|
|
performs a search for you. It's not a regular search, though,
|
|
because you can build a vFolder with a very complicated set of
|
|
criteria with multiple inclusions and exclusions, as though
|
|
you were setting up a filter.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<!-- potentially useful, but doesn't fit at the moment:
|
|
<para>
|
|
An important difference between a folder and a virtual folder
|
|
is that a conventional folder actually contains messages, but
|
|
a vFolder is a view of messages that may be in several
|
|
different folders. This means that while a message may fall
|
|
into several vFolders, it can be in only one conventional
|
|
folder. Also, it means that you cannot remove a message from
|
|
a vFolder unless you delete it, and you cannot add a message
|
|
to a vFolder unless you change the vFolder's search criteria.
|
|
</para>
|
|
-->
|
|
|
|
<para>
|
|
As messages that meet the vFolder criteria arrive or are
|
|
deleted, <application>Evolution</application> will
|
|
automatically place them in and and remove them from the
|
|
vFolder contents list. When you delete a message, it gets
|
|
erased from the folder in which it actually exists, as well as
|
|
any vFolders which include it.
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>
|
|
That's pretty complicated, but it can be useful. For example,
|
|
if I have a folder for all the email from one person, and
|
|
another folder for all the email on a given topic, I
|
|
<emphasis>feel</emphasis> organized. But when the person
|
|
sends me mail about the topic, my whole email filing universe
|
|
becomes chaotic, and I need vFolders to save the day for me.
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>
|
|
That sounds silly, but imagine a business trying to keep track
|
|
of mail from hundreds of vendors and clients, or a university
|
|
with overlapping and changing groups of faculty, staff,
|
|
administrators and students. The larger the system, the less
|
|
you can afford the sort of confusion that stems from an
|
|
organizational system that's not flexible enough. vFolders
|
|
make for better organization because they can accept
|
|
overlapping groups in a way that regular folders and filing
|
|
systems can't.
|
|
</para>
|
|
|
|
<example id="usage-mail-organize-vFolders-ex">
|
|
<title>Using Folders, Searches, and vFolders</title>
|
|
<para>
|
|
To organize my mail box, I can set up a vFolder
|
|
for emails from my friend Vince, by doing (INSERT
|
|
PROCESS HERE). Then, whenever I want to see the
|
|
messages Vince has sent me, I open the vFolder, and
|
|
every message he's sent me shows up, no matter where
|
|
I've actually filed it. If I want, I can also create a
|
|
vFolder containing any message from my list of
|
|
co-workers which also has the name of the project in
|
|
it. That way, when Vince sends me mail about the
|
|
project, I can see that message both in the "Vince"
|
|
vFolder and in the "Project" vFolder. That's because
|
|
when I open up the "Vince" folder, I'm really
|
|
performing a search for all the mail from Vince, and
|
|
when I open the "Project" folder I'm really performing
|
|
a search for all the mail about the project.
|
|
|
|
(INSERT SCREENSHOT HERE)
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
</example>
|
|
<para>
|
|
To create a vFolder, select <guimenuitem>VFolder
|
|
Assistant</guimenuitem> from the <guimenu>Tools</guimenu>
|
|
menu in the <interface>main window</interface>. This
|
|
will bring up a dialog box that looks suspiciously like
|
|
the Filter Assistant (for more information on filters, see
|
|
<xref linkend="usage-mail-organize-filters">), and which
|
|
presents you with a list of vFolders you have previously
|
|
created. If you have already created vFolders, you can
|
|
click on them in the frame labelled <guilabel>Select Rule
|
|
Type</guilabel>, and edit or remove them. If you have
|
|
not created any, there will be only one available option:
|
|
click <guibutton>Add</guibutton> to add a new vFolder.
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>
|
|
You'll be prompted to create a filtering rule. To do so,
|
|
select one of the base rules, and click
|
|
<guibutton>Next</guibutton> to customize it. Your options are:
|
|
<variablelist>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term><guilabel>For matching messages:</guilabel></term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
You may select one or more search criteria; the
|
|
vFolder you create will contain messages that match
|
|
all of them.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term><guilabel>Messages from a certain person:</guilabel></term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Enter an email address, and the vFolder will contain
|
|
any messages from that address.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term><guilabel>Messages to a certain address:</guilabel</term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Any messages sent directly to this address will be in
|
|
the vFolder you create.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
<varlistentry>
|
|
<term><guilabel>Messages with a given subject:</guilabel></term>
|
|
<listitem>
|
|
<para>
|
|
Enter a subject, and the vFolder will contain messages
|
|
with that subject.
|
|
</para>
|
|
</listitem>
|
|
</varlistentry>
|
|
</variablelist>
|
|
|
|
as is shown in <xref
|
|
linkend="usage-mail-vfolder-fig-createrule">
|
|
|
|
<figure id="usage-mail-vfolder-fig-createrule">
|
|
<title>Selecting a vFolder Rule</title>
|
|
<screenshot>
|
|
<screeninfo>Selecting a vFolder Rule</screeninfo>
|
|
<graphic fileref="fig/vfolder-createrule-fig" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
|
|
</graphic>
|
|
</screenshot>
|
|
</figure>
|
|
</para>
|
|
<para>
|
|
|
|
Once you click <guibutton>Next</guibutton>, you'll
|
|
customize the vFolder rule. This process is somewhat
|
|
complicated, but promises to get much more simple in
|
|
future versions of <application>Evolution</application>.
|
|
As it stands now, try clicking different things to have
|
|
the sentence in the bottom frame make sense.
|
|
|
|
</para>
|
|
</sect2>
|
|
|
|
</sect1>
|
|
</chapter>
|