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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 receive mail in HTML or as plain text, and
permits multiple file attachments.
</para>
</listitem>
<listitem>
<para>
It supports multiple mail sources, including <glossterm
linkend="imap">IMAP</glossterm>, <glossterm
linkend="pop">POP3</glossterm>, local
<systemitem><filename>mbox</filename></systemitem> and
<systemitem><filename>mh</filename></systemitem> files, and
even NNTP messages (newsgroups), which aren't technically
email.
</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 volumes of
mail. There's also the <application>Evolution</application>
<link linkend="usage-mail-organize-vFolders">Virtual
Folder</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 this feature especially useful.
</para>
</abstract>
<sect1 id="usage-mail-getnsend">
<title>Reading, Getting and Sending Mail</title>
<sect2 id="usage-mail-getnsend-read">
<title>Reading Mail</title>
<para>
You can start reading email by clicking
<guibutton>Inbox</guibutton> in the shortcut bar. The first
time you use <application>Evolution</application>, it will
start with the <interface>Inbox</interface> open and show you a
message from Ximian welcoming you to the application.
</para>
<para>
Your <application>Evolution</application>
<guilabel>Inbox</guilabel> will look something like the one in
<xref linkend="usage-mail-intro-fig">. Just below the toolbar
is the <interface>message list</interface>, showing message
header information like <guilabel>Subject</guilabel> and
<guilabel>Date</guilabel>. The message itself appears below
that, in the <interface>view pane</interface>. If you find
the <interface>view pane</interface> too small, you can resize
the pane, enlarge the whole window, or double-click on the
message in the <interface>message list</interface> to have it
open in a new window. Just like with folders, you can
right-click on messages in the message list and get a menu of
possible actions.
</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============================== -->
<para>
Most of the mail-related actions you'll want to perform are
listed in the <guimenu>Message</guimenu> menu in the menu
bar. The most frequently used ones, like
<guimenuitem>Reply</guimenuitem> and
<guimenuitem>Forward</guimenuitem>, also appear as buttons in
the toolbar, and almost all of them are duplicated in the
right-click menu and as keyboard shortcuts, which tend to be
faster once you get the hang of them. You can choose
whichever way you like best; the idea is that the software
should work the way you want, rather than making you work the
way the it does.
</para>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-listorder">
<title>Sorting the message list</title>
<para>
One of the ways <application>Evolution</application> lets
you choose the way you work is the way it lets you sort your
message lists. To sort by sender, subject, or date, click
on the bars with those labels at the top of the message
list. The direction of the arrow next to the label indicates
the direction of the sort, and if you click again, you'll
sort them in reverse order. For example, click once on
<guilabel>Date</guilabel> to sort messages by date from
oldest to newest. Click again, and
<application>Evolution</application> sorts the list from
newest to oldest. You can also right-click on the message
header bars to get a set of sorting options, and add or
remove columns from the message list. You can find detailed
instructions on how to customize your message display
columns in <xref linkend="usage-mail-organize-columns">.
</para>
<para>
You can also choose a threaded message view. Select
<menuchoice> <guimenu>View</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Threaded</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> to turn
the threaded view on or off. When you select this option,
<application>Evolution</application> groups the replies to a
message with the original, so you can follow the thread of a
conversation from one message to the next.
</para>
</sect3>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-delete">
<title>Deleting Mail</title>
<para>
Once you've read your mail, you may want to get rid of
it. To mark a message for deletion, select it in the the
<interface>message list</interface> by clicking on it once.
Then click on the <guibutton>Delete</guibutton> button in
the tool bar. Or, right-click on a message and choose
<guimenuitem>Delete</guimenuitem> from the right-click
menu. The message will appear with a line through it, to
show that you've marked it for deletion.
</para>
<para>
If you change your mind and decide you want to keep it,
select <menuchoice> <guimenu>Message</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Undelete</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. If you
really want to get rid of it, choose
<guimenuitem>Expunge</guimenuitem> from the
<guimenu>Folder</guimenu> menu. That will delete it
permanently.
</para>
</sect3>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="usage-mail-getnsend-get">
<title>Checking Mail</title>
<para>
Now that you've had a look around the
<interface>Inbox</interface>, it's time to check for new mail.
Click <guibutton>Get mail</guibutton> in the toolbar to check
your mail. If it's 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).
</para>
<para>
Then, you need to enter your email
password. <application>Evolution</application> will remember
your password until until you select <menuchoice>
<guimenu>Settings</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Forget
Passwords</guimenuitem> </menuchoice>.
</para>
<para>
Once it's validated the password,
<application>Evolution</application> will check your mail.
New mail will appear in the local <interface>Inbox</interface>
if you're using a <glossterm>POP</glossterm> account, and in
your <glossterm>IMAP</glossterm> folders if you use IMAP.
</para>
<note id="badmailsettings">
<title>Can't Check Mail?</title>
<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>
</note>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-get-news">
<title>Using Evolution for News </title>
<para>
Newsgroups are so similar to email that there's no reason not
to read them side by side. If you want to do that, add a
news source to your configuration (see <xref
linkend="config-prefs-network-news">). The news server will
appear as a remote server, and will look quite similar to an
IMAP folder. When you click <guibutton>Get Mail</guibutton>,
<application>Evolution</application> will also check for news
messages.
</para>
</sect3>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-get-attach">
<title>Attachments and HTML Mail</title>
<para>
If someone sends you an <glossterm>attachment</glossterm>, a
file attached to an email,
<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 within the message
itself. For other files,
<application>Evolution</application> will show an icon at
the end of the message. Right-click on the icon to get a
list of options which will vary depending on the type of
attachment. You will have the option to display most files
as part of the message, export them to a different
application (images to Eye of GNOME, spreadsheets to
Gnumeric, and so forth), or save them to disk.
</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>
</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
<menuchoice> <guimenu>File</guimenu>
<guisubmenu>New</guisubmenu> <guimenuitem>
Mail Message</guimenuitem></menuchoice>, or by pressing the
<guibutton>Compose</guibutton> button in the Inbox toolbar.
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="Kevin Breit">
</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>.
</para>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-delay">
<title>Saving Messages for Later</title>
<para>
Evolution will send mail immediately unless you tell it to
do otherwise by selecting <menuchoice>
<guimenu>File</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Send
Later</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. This will add your
messages to the <guilabel>Outbox</guilabel> queue. Then,
when you press <guibutton>Send</guibutton> in another
message, or <guibutton>Get Mail</guibutton> in the main
mail window, 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>
<para>
You can also choose to save messages as drafts or as text
files. Choose
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>File</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Save</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>
or <guimenuitem>Save As</guimenuitem> to save your message
as a text file. If you prefer to keep your message in a
folder (the <guilabel>Drafts</guilabel> folder would be the
obvious place), you can select <menuchoice>
<guimenu>File</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Save In
Folder</guimenuitem> </menuchoice>.
</para>
</sect3>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-compose">
<title>Advanced Mail Composition</title>
<para>
You can probably guess the purpose of the buttons labelled
<guibutton>Cut</guibutton>, <guibutton>Copy</guibutton>,
<guibutton>Paste</guibutton>, <guibutton>Undo</guibutton>
and <guibutton>Redo</guibutton>, 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 large recipient lists,
attachments, and forwarding.
</para>
<sect4 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>
To hide the display of files you've attached to the
message, select <menuchoice>
<guimenu>View</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Hide
Attachments</guimenuitem> </menuchoice>; to show them
again, choose <guimenuitem>Show Attachments</guimenuitem>.
</para>
<para>
When you send the message, a copy of the attached file
will go with it. Be aware that big attachments can take a
long time to download.
</para>
</sect4>
<sect4 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-to-types">
<title>Types of Recipients</title>
<para>
<application>Evolution</application>, like most email
programs recognizes three types of addressee: primary
recipients, secondary recipients, and hidden ("blind")
recipients.
</para>
<para>
The simplest way to direct a message is to put the email
address or addresses in the <guilabel>To:</guilabel>
field, which denotes primary recipients. To send mail to
more than one or two people, you can use the the
<guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> field.
</para>
<para>
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 id="ex-mail-cc">
<title>Using the Cc: field</title>
<para>
When 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
received 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 it sends messages discreetly. In other words,
the people in the <guilabel>Bcc:</guilabel> field get the
message, but nobody sees that they got it. Note that the
contents of the <guilabel>To:</guilabel> and
<guilabel>Cc:</guilabel> fields are visible to all
recipients, even to people on the
<guilabel>Bcc:</guilabel> list.
<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. It seems like a small difference, but it can
make a huge difference in some situations.
</para>
</example>
</para>
</sect4>
<sect4 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-to">
<title>Choosing Recipients Quickly</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.
<!-- (NOT YET) Also, <application>Evolution</application>
will add a domain to any unqualified addresses. By default,
this is your domain, but you can choose which one mail
preferences dialog. -->
</para>
<para>
Alternately, you can click on the
<guibutton>To:</guibutton>, <guibutton>Cc:</guibutton>, or
<guibutton>Bcc:</guibutton> buttons to get a list —
potentially a very long one — of the email addresses
in your contact manager. Select addresses and click on
the arrows to move them into the appropriate address
columns.
</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">.
</para>
</sect4>
</sect3>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-reply">
<title>Replying to Messages</title>
<para>
To reply to a message, press the
<guibutton>Reply</guibutton> button while it is selected,
or choose <guimenuitem>Reply to Sender</guimenuitem> from
the message's right-click menu. That will open the
<interface>message composer</interface>. The
<guilabel>To:</guilabel> and <guilabel>Subject</guilabel>
fields will already be filled, although you can alter them
if you wish. In addition, the full text of the old message
is inserted into the new message, either in italics (for
HTML display) or with the > character before each line
(in plain text mode), to indicate that it's part of the
previous message. People often intersperse their message
with the quoted material as shown in <xref
linkend="usage-mail-getnsend-reply-fig">.
<!-- note that this figure should have a reply message 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 you're reading a message with several recipients, you may
wish to use <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. Be careful: always make sure you know who
is getting a message: one address could be a mailing list
with thousands of subscribers.
<example>
<title>Using the Reply to All 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 for all of them to read,
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>. Note that his reply
will not reach anyone that Susan put on her
<guilabel>Bcc</guilabel> list, since nobody else knows
that they got that message.
</para>
</example>
</para>
</sect3>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-find">
<title>Searching and Replacing with the Composer</title>
<para>
You're probably familiar with search and replace features,
and if you come from a Linux or Unix background, you
probably know what <guimenuitem>Find Regex</guimenuitem>
does. If you aren't among the lucky who already know,
here's a quick rundown of an important section of the
<guimenu>Edit</guimenu> menu.
</para>
<para>
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Find</guimenuitem></term>
<listitem><para> Enter a word or phrase, and
<application>Evolution</application> will find it
in your message.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Find Regex</guimenuitem></term>
<listitem>
<para>
Find a regex, also called a
<glossterm linkend="regular-expression">regular
expression</glossterm>, in your composer window.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Find Again</guimenuitem></term>
<listitem><para>
Select this item to repeat the last search you performed.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Replace</guimenuitem></term>
<listitem><para>
Find a word or phrase, and replace it with
something else.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
<para>
For all of these menu items, you can choose whether or not
to <guilabel>Search Backwards</guilabel> in the document
from the point where your cursor is. For all but the
regular expression search (which doesn't need it), you are
offered a check box to determine whether the search is to
be <guilabel>Case Sensitive</guilabel> when it determines
a match.
</para>
</sect3>
<sect3 id="usage-mail-getnsend-send-html">
<title>Embellish your email with HTML</title>
<para>
Normally, you can't set text styles or insert pictures in
emails, which is why you've probably seen people use far
too many exclamation points for emphasis, or use
<glossterm linkend="emoticon">emoticons</glossterm> to
convey their feelings. However, most newer email programs
can display images and text styles as well as basic
alignment and paragraph formatting. They do this with
<glossterm linkend="html">HTML</glossterm>, just like web
pages do.
</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 <menuchoice>
<guimenu>Format</guimenu> <guimenuitem>
HTML</guimenuitem></menuchoice>. Alternately, you can set
your default mail format preferences in the mail
configuration dialog. See <xref
linkend="config-prefs-mail-other"> for more information.
</para>
</note>
<para>
HTML formatting tools are located in the toolbar just above
the space where you'll actually compose the message, and
they also appear in the <guimenu>Insert</guimenu> and
<guimenu>Format</guimenu> menus.
</para>
<para>
The icons in the toolbar are explained in <glossterm
linkend="tooltip">tool-tips</glossterm>, 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>
At the left edge of the toolbar, you can choose
<guilabel>Normal</guilabel> for a default text style
or <guilabel>Header 1</guilabel> through
<guilabel>Header 6</guilabel> for varying sizes of
header from large (1) to tiny (6). Other styles
include <guilabel>pre</guilabel>, to use the HTML
tag for preformatted blocks of text, and three types
of <guilabel>List Item</guilabel> for the highly
organized.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term>Text style</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Use these buttons to determine the way your letters
look. If you have text selected, the style will
apply to the selected text. If you do not have text
selected, the style will apply to whatever you type
next. The buttons are:
<itemizedlist mark="none">
<listitem><para>Push <guibutton>B</guibutton> for bold text</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Push <guibutton>I</guibutton> for italics</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Push <guibutton>U</guibutton> to underline</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>Push <guibutton>S</guibutton> 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 aligned to the left, the center
button, centered, and the right hand button,
aligned on the right side.
</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>
<varlistentry>
<term>Color Selection</term>
<listitem>
<para>
At the far right is the color section tool. The
colored box displays the current text color; to
choose a new one, click the arrow button just to the
right. If you have text selected, the color will
apply to the selected text. If you do not have text
selected, the color will apply to whatever you type
next.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
<para>
There are three tools that you can find only in the
<guimenu>Insert</guimenu> menu.
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Insert Link</guimenuitem>:</term>
<listitem>
<para>
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). If you don't
want special link text, you can just enter the address
directly, and <application>Evolution</application>
will recognize it as a link.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term> <guimenuitem>Insert Image</guimenuitem>:</term>
<listitem>
<para>
Select this item to embed an image into your email, as
was done in the welcome message. Images will appear at
the location of the cursor. This is different from
attaching them to a message, but not very different.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Insert Rule</guimenuitem>:</term>
<listitem><para>
This will insert a horizontal line, or rule, into your document.
You'll be presented with a dialog box which gives you
the choice of size, percentage of screen, shading, and
alignment; if you leave everything at the default
values you'll get a thin black rule all the way across
the screen.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</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>
<!-- 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-mail-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> button
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 linkend="inline">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 you are reading, press
<guibutton>Forward</guibutton> on the toolbar, or select
<menuchoice> <guimenu>Message</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Forward</guimenuitem> </menuchoice>. If you
prefer to forward the message <glossterm linkend="inline">inline</glossterm>
instead of attached, select <menuchoice>
<guimenu>Message</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Forward
Inline</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> from the 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 Courtesy</title>
<para>
I started with ten, but four were "Don't send
<glossterm linkend="spam">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
greater-than signs, (>) indicating multiple layers
of careless in-line 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! Don't write a whole
message in capital letters. It hurts people's ears.
</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.
</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-columns">
<title>Sorting Mail with Column Headers</title>
<para>
By default, the columns in a mail message list are: an
envelope icon indicating whether you have read or replied to
a message (closed for unread, open for read, and open with an
arrow on it to indicate you've sent a reply), an exclamation
point indicating priority, and the <guilabel>From</guilabel>,
<guilabel>Subject</guilabel>, and <guilabel>Date</guilabel>
fields. You can change their order and remove them by
dragging and dropping them. You can add new ones with the
<guimenuitem>Field Chooser</guimenuitem> item in the right
click menu for the column headings.
</para>
<para>
Right-click on one of the column headers to get a list of
options:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Sort Ascending</guimenuitem>,
<guimenuitem>Sort Descending</guimenuitem>, and
<guimenuitem>Unsort</guimenuitem></term>
<listitem><para>Which should be pretty obvious. You
can also set these sorts by just clicking on the
column headers.</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Group By this Field</guimenuitem></term>
<listitem><para>
Groups messages instead of sorting them. (FIXME: Explain further)
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Remove this
Column</guimenuitem></term> <listitem><para> Remove
this column from the display. You can also remove
columns by dragging the header off the list and
letting it drop. </para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guimenuitem>Field
Chooser</guimenuitem></term> <listitem><para> A list
of column headers; just drag and drop them into
place between two existing headers. A red arrow will
appear to show you where you're about to put the
column. </para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
</sect2>
<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.
</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, or by
using the <guibutton>Move</guibutton> button in the
toolbar. If you want to move several messages at once, click
on the ones you want to move while holding down the
<keycap>CTRL</keycap> key, or use <keycap>Shift</keycap> to
select a range of messages. 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>
I once worked in the mail room of a large company, where my
job was to bundle, sort, and distribute mail to the various
mail boxes and desks throughout the building. Filters do that
same job with email, but they lose much less mail than I did.
In addition, you can have multiple filters performing multiple
actions that may effect the same message in several ways. For
example, your filters could put copies of one message into
multiple folders, or keep a copy and send one to another
person as well. Which is to say, it's quite a bit more
flexible than an actual person with a pile of envelopes.
</para>
<para>
Most often, you'll want to have
<application>Evolution</application> put mail into different
folders, but you can have it do almost anything you like.
People who subscribe to multiple mailing lists, or who often
need to refer to messages they have sent, find filters
especially helpful to separate personal from list-related
mail, but they're good for anybody who gets more than a few
messages a day. To create a filter, open the
<interface>filter assistant</interface> by selecting
<menuchoice>
<guimenu>Tools</guimenu>
<guimenuitem>Mail Filters</guimenuitem>
</menuchoice>.
</para>
<figure id="usage-mail-filters-fig-assist">
<title>The Filter Assistant</title>
<screenshot>
<screeninfo>The Filter Assistant</screeninfo>
<graphic fileref="fig/filter-assist-fig" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
</graphic>
</screenshot>
</figure>
<para>
The <interface>filter assistant</interface> window contains a
list of your current filters, sorted by the order in which
they are used. From the drop-down box at the top of the
window, choose <guilabel>Incoming</guilabel> to display
filters for incoming mail, and <guilabel>On Demand</guilabel>
for those which sort your mail only when you want.
</para>
<para>
The <interface>filter assistant</interface> also has a set of
buttons:
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>
<guibutton>Add</guibutton> — Create a new filter.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<guibutton>Edit</guibutton> — Edit an existing filter.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<guibutton>Delete</guibutton> — Delete the selected filter.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para> <guibutton>Up</guibutton> — Move the
selected filter up in the list so it gets applied first.
</para></listitem>
<listitem><para>
<guibutton>Down</guibutton> — Move the selected filter down
in the list, so it comes into play later.
</para></listitem>
</itemizedlist>
If you don't have any filters set up, the only one of those
buttons you can click is <guibutton>Add</guibutton>. When you
do that, (or when you click <guibutton>Edit</guibutton> with a
filter selected), the <interface>Add Rule</interface> window
appears.
</para>
<para>
That window, shown in <xref
linkend="usage-mail-filters-fig-new">, is where you'll
actually create your filtering rule.
<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>
Enter a name for your filter in the <guilabel>Rule
Name</guilabel> field, and then begin choosing criteria.
Choose how many criteria you'd like by pressing <guibutton>Add
Criterion</guibutton> and <guibutton>Remove
Criterion</guibutton>. If you have multiple criteria, you
should then decide whether to have the filter do its job only
<guilabel>if all criteria are met</guilabel>, or <guilabel>if
any criteria are met</guilabel>.
</para>
<para>
For each of your filter criteria, you must first select what
part of the message you want the filter to look at:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Sender</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
The author of the message.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Recipients</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
The recipients of the message.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Subject</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
The subject line of the message.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Specific Header</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para> The filter can look at any header you
want, even obscure or custom ones like X-Bonus or
X-Archive. Enter the header name, and what you'd like to
match inside it. </para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Message Body</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
The actual text of the message.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Expression</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para> Enter a <glossterm
linkend="regular-expression">regular
expression</glossterm>, and
<application>Evolution</application> will search the
entire message, headers and all, to match it for you.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Date Sent</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
You can filter messages by when they were sent: First,
choose how you'd like to match the time—
<guilabel>before</guilabel>,
<guilabel>after</guilabel> and so forth. Then, choose
the time. The filter compare the message's time-stamp
to the system clock when the filter is run, or to a
specific time and date you choose from a calendar.
You can even have it look for messages within a range
of time relative to the filter. For example, you could have
the filter catch all messages sent less
than a week before the filter is run.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Date Recieved</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
This works the same way as the <guilabel>Date Sent</guilabel>
option, except that it compares the time you got the message
with the dates you specify.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Priority</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
Emails have a standard priority range from -3 (least
important) to 3 (most important). You can have filters set the
priority of messages you recieve, and then have other filters
applied only to those messages which have a certain priority.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Regex Match</guilabel></term>
<listitem>
<para>
If you know your way around a <glossterm
linkend="regular-expression">regex </glossterm>, or
regular expression, put your knowledge to use
here.
</para>
</listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Source</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
Filter messages according the server you got them from. You can enter a URL or
choose one from the drop-down list. This criterion is only relevant if you
use more than one mail source.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
<para>
Now, tell it what to do with those messages. If you want multiple
actions, click <guibutton>Add Action</guibutton>; if you want fewer,
click <guibutton>Remove Action</guibutton>. And choose again:
<variablelist>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Copy to Folder</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
If you select this item, <application>Evolution</application>
will put the messages into a folder you specify. Click the
<guibutton><click here to select a folder></guibutton> button
to select a folder.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Move to Folder</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
If you select this item, <application>Evolution</application>
will put the messages into a folder you specify. Click the
<guibutton><click here to select a folder></guibutton> button
to select a folder.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Forward to Address</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
Select this, enter an address, and the addressee will
get a copy of the message.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Delete</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
Marks the message for deletion. You can still get the message
back, at least until you <guimenuitem>Expunge</guimenuitem> your
mail yourself.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Stop Processing</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
Select this if you want to tell all other filters to ignore
this message, because whatever you've done with it so far
is plenty.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Assign Color</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para>
Select this item, and <application>Evolution</application>
will mark the message with whatever color you please.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
<varlistentry>
<term><guilabel>Assign Score</guilabel></term>
<listitem><para> If you know that all mail with
"important" somewhere in the message body line is
important, you can give it a high priority score. In a subsequent filter you can
then arrange your messages by their priority score.
</para></listitem>
</varlistentry>
</variablelist>
</para>
<para>
You're done. Click <guibutton>OK</guibutton> to use this
filter, or <guibutton>Cancel</guibutton> to close the window
without saving any changes.
</para>
<!-- FIXME: This needs to be in there. But the feature is temporarily
disabled and I don't know how it will be reimplemented.
<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>
-->
<note>
<title>Two Notable Filter Features</title>
<para>
<itemizedlist>
<listitem><para>
Incoming email that your filters don't move goes into the Inbox;
outgoing mail that they don't move ends up in the Sent folder.
</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 filters aren't flexible enough for you, or you find
yourself 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, virtual folders can help
you stay on top of things.
</para>
<para>
A virtual folder 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. In other words, while a conventional
folder actually contains messages, a virtual folder is a view of
messages that may be in several different folders. The
messages it contains are determined on the fly using a set of
criteria you choose in advance.
</para>
<para>
As messages that meet the virtual folder criteria arrive or are
deleted, <application>Evolution</application> will
automatically place them in and and remove them from the
virtual folder contents list. When you delete a message, it gets
erased from the folder in which it actually exists, as well as
any virtual folders which display it.
</para>
<para>
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 more mail you need to organize, the less you
can afford the sort of confusion that stems from an
organizational system that's not flexible enough. virtual folders
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 Virtual Folders</title>
<para>
To organize my mail box, I set up a virtual folder for emails from
my friend and co-worker Anna. I have another one for
messages from anybody at work that have "Evolution" in the
subject line, so I can keep a record of what people from
work send me about <application>Evolution</application>.
If Anna sends a message about a picnic on Saturday, it only
shows up in the "Anna" folder. When Anna sends me mail
about the user interface for
<application>Evolution</application>, I can see that
message both in the "Anna" virtual folder and in the "Internal
Evolution Discussion" virtual folder.
</para>
</example>
<!-- (INSERT SCREENSHOT HERE: virtual folders in action) -->
<para>
To create a virtual folder, select <menuchoice>
<guimenu>Tools</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Virtual Folder
Editor</guimenuitem> </menuchoice>. This will bring up a
dialog box that looks suspiciously like the filter window
(for more information on filters, see <xref
linkend="usage-mail-organize-filters">), and which
presents you with a list of virtual folders you have previously
created. If you have created any virtual folders, they are listed
here, and you can select, edit or remove them if you wish.
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 can enter a name for your virtual folder in the
<guilabel>Name</guilabel>. Then, tell
<application>Evolution</application> what messages to look
for. This process is exactly like filter creation: decide
between <guilabel>Match all parts</guilabel> and
<guilabel>Match any part</guilabel>, then choose what part of
the message to look in, what sort of matching to perform, and
specify exactly what it is that you want to find, be it a
line of text, a score, a regular expression, or a particular date or
range of dates.
</para>
<para>
The second part, however, is slightly different. In the
section of the window labelled <guilabel>vFolder Sources
</guilabel> is a list of folders in which
<application>Evolution</application> will search for the
contents of your vFolder. Click <guibutton>Add</guibutton>
to add a folder, or <guibutton>Remove</guibutton> to remove
one. That way, you can have your vFolder search in
newsgroups, or just in one of your mailboxes, or just in a
select few folders you've already screened with filters.
</para>
<para>
The vFolder creation window 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>Creating a vFolder Rule</screeninfo>
<graphic fileref="fig/vfolder-createrule-fig" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber">
</graphic>
</screenshot>
</figure>
</para>
</sect2>
<sect2 id="usage-mail-subscriptions">
<title>Subscription Management</title>
<para>
<application>Evolution</application> lets you handle your
IMAP and newsgroup subscriptions with the same tool: the
subscriptions manager. To start using it, choose
<menuchoice> <guimenu>Settings</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Manage
Subscriptions</guimenuitem> </menuchoice>.
</para>
</sect2>
</sect1>
</chapter>