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<chapter id="usage-mail">
<title>Evolution Mail</title>
<abstract>
<title> An Overview of the Evolution Mailer</title>
<para>
<application>Evolution</application> email is like other email
programs in all the ways you would hope:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem>
<para>
It can sort and organize your mail in a wide variety of ways with
folders, searches, and filters.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
It can send and recieve mail in HTML or as plain text, and
supports file attachments.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
It supports multiple mail sources, including IMAP, POP3,
and local <filename>mbox</filename> files.
</para>
</listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
<para>
However, <application>Evolution</application> has some important
differences. First, it's built to handle very large amounts of
mail without slowing down or crashing. Both the <link
linkend="usage-mail-organize-filters">filtering</link> and <link
linkend="usage-mail-organize-search">searching</link> functions
were built for speed and efficiency on gargantuan mail
volumes. There's also the <application>Evolution</application>
<link linkend="usage-mail-organize-vFolders">vFolder</link>, an
advanced organizational feature not found in other mail clients.
If you get a lot of mail, or if you keep every message you get
in case you need to refer to it later, you'll find that feature
especially useful.
</para>
<para>
You can start reading email by clicking
<guibutton>Inbox</guibutton> in the shortcut bar. By
default, the <interface>Inbox</interface> is open when you
start <application>Evolution</application>, and the first
time you see your inbox, there's a message in it from Helix
Code welcoming you to the application.
</para>
</abstract>
<sect1 id="usage-mail-getnsend">
<title>Reading, Getting and Sending Mail</title>
<sect2 id="usage-mail-getnsend-read">
<title>Reading a Message</title>
<para>
The first time you open your
<application>Evolution</application>
<guilabel>Inbox</guilabel>, you will see a window like the one
in <xref linkend="usage-mail-intro-fig">, with a message from
Helix Code in the <interface>message list</interface>. The
message is displayed below that, in the <interface>view
pane</interface>. If you find the <interface>view
pane</interface> too small, you can double-click on the
message in the <interface>message list</interface> to have it
open in a new window. As is the case with folders, you can
right-click on messages in the message list and get a menu of
possible actions.
</para>
<para>
Go ahead and click on the message in the <interface>message
list</interface>. That selects the message. Then click on
the <guibutton>Delete</guibutton> button in the tool bar. The
message now has a line through it, because you've marked it
for deletion. If you really want to get rid of it, choose
<guimenuitem>Expunge</guimenuitem> from the
<guimenu>Tools</guimenu> menu. That will delete it
permanently. If you want to keep it, click
<guibutton>Delete</guibutton> again, and it will no longer be
marked as deleted. At some point in the future, this feature
will change to something a little less counter-intuitive.
</para>
<!-- ==============Figure=================================== -->
<figure id="usage-mail-intro-fig">
<title>Evolution Mail</title>
<screenshot>
<screeninfo>Inbox</screeninfo>
<graphic fileref="fig/mail-pic" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
</graphic>
</screenshot>
</figure>
<!-- ==============End of Figure============================== -->
</sect2>
<sect2 id="usage-mail-getnsend-get">
<title>Getting Mail</title>
<para>
To check your email, just click <guibutton>Get
mail</guibutton> in the toolbar. If this is the first time
you've done so, the <interface>mail setup
assistant</interface> will ask you for the information it
needs to check your mail (see <xref
linkend="config-setupassist"> for more information). Then,
<application>Evolution</application> will download your mail.
New mail will appear in your <interface>Inbox</interface>.
<!-- FIXME: add mention of Today if Today feature appears -->
</para>
<para>
If you get an error message instead of mail, you probably
need to change your network settings. To learn how to
do that, have a look at <xref
linkend="config-prefs-mail-network">, or ask your system
administrator.
</para>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-get-attach">
<title>Attachments, HTML Mail, and Live Documents</title>
<para>
If someone sends you a file attached to an email (an
"attachment"), <application>Evolution</application> will
display the file at the bottom of the message to which it's
attached. Text, HTML, and most images will be displayed in
the message itself. For other files,
<application>Evolution</application> will provide a link and
icon at the end of the message. Click on that, and
<application>Evolution</application> will ask you where you
want to put the file. Once you've chosen one and saved the
file, you can open, move, copy, or execute it just like any
other, using <application>Nautilus</application> or your
favorite shell or file manager.
</para>
<para>
<application>Evolution</application> can also display
HTML-formatted mail, complete with graphics. HTML
formatting will display automatically, although you can
turn it off if you prefer.
</para>
<!-- ######## Feature will probably not be implemented ******
<para>
It can also display <glossterm>live
documents</glossterm>, which have scripted or
executable contents— for example, a working
spreadsheet page or a chess game.
</para>
-->
</sect3>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send">
<title>Writing and Sending Mail</title>
<para>
You can start writing a new email message by selecting
<guimenuitem>New Mail</guimenuitem> from the <guimenu>File
Menu</guimenu>, or by pressing the
<guibutton>Send</guibutton> in the Inbox toolbar. <!-- THIS
IS A BAD BUTTON NAME AND MUST BE FIXED --> When you do so,
the <interface>New Message</interface> window will open, as
shown in <xref linkend="usage-mail-newmsg-fig">.
</para>
<!-- ==============Figure=================================== -->
<figure id="usage-mail-newmsg-fig">
<title>New Message Window</title>
<screenshot>
<screeninfo>Evolution Main Window</screeninfo>
<graphic fileref="fig/newmsg-pic" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
</graphic>
</screenshot>
</figure>
<!-- ==============End of Figure=================================== -->
<!-- Check the alignment of the following paragraph in the PS and
HTML output: it's indented for no good reason -->
<para>
Enter an address in the <guilabel>To:</guilabel> field, a
subject in the <guilabel>Subject:</guilabel> and a message in
the big empty box at the bottom of the window, and press
<guibutton>Send</guibutton>. That's easy. It may even be
too easy, which is why I like to queue my messages up to be
sent a few minutes later.
<tip id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-attach-tip">
<title>Send Now, Send Later</title>
<para>
Evolution will send mail immediately unless you tell it to
do otherwise by selecting <guimenuitem>Send
Later</guimenuitem> from the <guimenu>MENU</guimenu> in
the message composition window. Then, when you press
<guibutton>Send</guibutton>, all your unsent messages will
go out at once. I like to use "Send Later" because it
gives me a chance to change my mind about a message before
it goes out. That way, I don't send anything I'll regret
the next day.
</para>
<para>
To learn more about how you can specify message queue
and filter behavior, see <xref linkend="config-prefs-mail">.
</para>
</tip>
</para>
<para>
You can probably guess the purpose of the buttons labelled
<guilabel>Cut</guilabel>, <guilabel>Copy</guilabel>,
<guilabel>Paste</guilabel> and <guilabel>Undo</guilabel>, but
there's a bit more to sending mail that's less obvious. In
the next few sections, you'll see how
<application>Evolution</application> handles additional
features, including mailing lists, attachments, and
forwarding.
</para>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-to">
<title>Choosing Recipients</title>
<para>
If you have created address cards in the contact manager,
you can also enter nicknames or other portions of address
data, and <application>Evolution</application> will complete
the address for you. <!-- (INSERT description of UI for this
feature, once it is decided upon). --> If you enter a name or
nickname that can go with more than one card, Evolution will
open a dialog box to ask you which person you meant.
</para>
<para>
Alternately, you can click on the
<guibutton>To:</guibutton>, <guibutton>Cc:</guibutton>, or
<guibutton>Bcc:</guibutton> buttons to get a list of email
addresses. Click the checkboxes next to the addresses, then
click <guibutton>OK</guibutton>, and the address will be
added to the appropriate form field.
</para>
<para>
For more information about using email
together with the contact manager and the calendar, see
<xref linkend="usage-contact-automate"> and <xref
linkend="usage-calendar-apts-group">.
</para>
<sect4 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-to-mult">
<title>Multiple Recipients</title>
<para>
In addition, you can mark recipients in three different
ways. The <guilabel>To:</guilabel> field is for the
primary recipients of the message you are going to send.
However, it is considered bad form to have more than a few
email addresses in this section.
</para>
<para>
If you're writing to one person, but want to keep a third
party up to date, you can use <guilabel>Cc:</guilabel>.
Hearkening back to the dark ages when people used
typewriters and there were no copy machines, "Cc" stands
for "Carbon Copy." Use it whenever you want to share a
message you've written to someone else.
<example>
<title>Using the Cc: field</title>
<para>
Say, for example, Susan sends an email to a client.
She puts her co-worker, Tim, in the in the
<guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> field, so that he know
what's going on. The client can see that Tim also
recieved the message, and knows that he can talk to
Tim about the message as well.
</para>
</example>
</para>
<para>
If you have a large number of recipients, or if you want
to send mail to several people without sharing the
recipient list, you should use
<guilabel>Bcc:</guilabel>. "Bcc" stands for "Blind Carbon
Copy", and means that people you put in the
<guilabel>Bcc:</guilabel> field get the message, but
nobody else sees their email address. They will still see
the list of addresses from the <guilabel>To:</guilabel>
and <guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> fields, though.
<example id="ex-mail-bcc">
<title>Using the Bcc: field</title>
<para>
Tim is sending an email announcement to all of his
company's clients, some of whom are in competition
with each other, and all of whom value their
privacy. He needs to use the
<guilabel>Bcc:</guilabel> field here. If he puts
every address from his address book's "Clients"
category into the <guilabel>To:</guilabel> or
<guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> fields, he'll make the
company's <emphasis>entire</emphasis> client list
public. Don't assume it won't happen to you!
</para>
</example>
</para>
</sect4>
</sect3>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-reply">
<title>Replying to Messages</title>
<para>
In order to reply to a message, click on it once in the
message list to select it. Then press the
<guibutton>Reply</guibutton> button. A window like the
<interface>New Message</interface> window will appear, but
the subject will already be present— the same subject
as the message to which you are replying, but with Re:
before it, to mark it as a reply. In addition, the full
text of the previous message is inserted into the new
message, either in italics (for HTML display) or with the
> character (in plain text mode) before each line. This
indicates quoting. You can intersperse your message with
the quoted material as shown in <xref
linkend="usage-mail-getnsend-reply-fig">
<!-- note that this figure should have a reply mail ready to send,
with quoted materials and the relevant replies interspersed-->
<!-- ==============Figure=================================== -->
<figure id="usage-mail-getnsend-reply-fig">
<title>Reply Message Window</title>
<screenshot>
<screeninfo>Evolution Main Window</screeninfo>
<graphic fileref="fig/replymsg" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
</graphic>
</screenshot>
</figure>
<!-- ==============End of Figure=================================== -->
</para>
<para>
If a message has several recipients, as in the case of
mailing lists or messages that have been carbon copied, you
may wish to click <guibutton>Reply to All</guibutton>
instead of <guibutton>Reply</guibutton>. If there are large
numbers of people in the <guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> or
<guilabel>To:</guilabel> fields, this can save substantial
amounts of time. But be careful, and always make sure you
know who is getting a message: it could be a mailing list
with thousands of subscribers.
<example>
<title>Using the Reply-To feature</title>
<para>
Susan sends an email to a client, and sends copies to
Tim and to an internal company mailing list of
co-workers. If Tim wants to make a comment to all of
them, he uses <guibutton>Reply to All</guibutton>, but
if he just wants to tell Susan that he agrees with her,
he uses <guibutton>Reply</guibutton>.
</para>
</example>
</para>
</sect3>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-html">
<title>Embellish your email with HTML</title>
<para>
You can't normally use text treatments or pictures in
emails, which is why you've probably seen people use
asterisks for emphasis or use
<glossterm>emoticons</glossterm> to convey their
feelings. However, most of the newer email programs can
include and display images and text treatments as well as
basic alignment and paragraph formatting.
</para>
<note>
<title>HTML Mail is not a Default Setting</title>
<para>
Some people do not have HTML-capable mail clients, or
prefer not to receive HTML-enhanced mail because it is
slower to download and display. <emphasis>Some</emphasis>
people refer to HTML mail as "the root of all evil" and
get very angry if you send them HTML mail, which is why
<application>Evolution</application> sends plain text
unless you explicitly ask for HTML. To send HTML mail,
you will need to select <guilabel>Send Messages as
HTML</guilabel> in the mail settings dialog box. See
<xref linkend="config-prefs-mail-other"> for more information.
</para>
<para>
If you format a message with HTML, but do not have
<guilabel>Send Messages as HTML</guilabel> enabled in your
mail settings, the composer will remove your text styles.
It will, however, preserve indentation and lists. The
same is true for individuals in your address book whom you
have not marked as wanting to receive HTML mail.
</para>
</note>
<para>
HTML formatting tools are located just above the
composition frame, and in the <guimenu>Insert</guimenu> and
<guimenu>Format</guimenu> menus. Your message text will
appear formatted in the composer window, and the message
will be sent as HTML.
</para>
<para>
The icons in the toolbar are explained in tool-tips, which
appear when you hold your mouse over the buttons. The
buttons fall into four categories:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term>Headers and lists</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Choose <guilabel>Normal</guilabel> for a default
text style, or <guilabel>Header 1</guilabel> through
<guilabel>Header 6</guilabel> for varying sizes of
header. You can also select
<guilabel>pre</guilabel> for preformatted text
blocks, and three types of <guilabel>List
Item</guilabel>.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Text style</term>
<listitem>
<para>
<itemizedlist mark="none">
<listitem><para><guilabel>B</guilabel> is for bold text</para></listitem>
<listitem><para><guilabel>I</guilabel> for italics</para></listitem>
<listitem><para><guilabel>U</guilabel> to underline</para></listitem>
<listitem><para><guilabel>S</guilabel> for a strikethrough.</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Alignment</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Located next to the text style buttons,
these three paragraph icons should be familiar to
users of most word processing software. The
leftmost button will make your text left-justified,
the center button, centered, and the right hand
button, right-justified.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Indentation rules</term>
<listitem>
<para>
The button with the arrow pointing left will reduce
a paragraph's indentation, and the right arrow will
increase its indentation.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
<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>
