<chapter id="usage-mail-organize"> <title>Organizing and Managing your Email</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> <sect1 id="usage-mail-organize-columns"> <title>Sorting Mail with Column Headers</title> <para> By default, the message list has columns with the following headings: an envelope icon indicating whether you have read or replied to a message, 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. To add columns: <orderedlist numeration="arabic"> <listitem> <para> Right click on the column header </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Click <guimenuitem>Add a Column</guimenuitem> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Click and drag a column you want into a space between existing column headers. A red arrow will show you where the column will be placed. </para> </listitem> </orderedlist> </para> <para> Right-click on one of the column headers to get a list of options: <variablelist> <varlistentry> <term><guimenuitem>Sort Ascending</guimenuitem></term> <listitem><para> Sorts the messages top to bottom. </para></listitem> </varlistentry> <varlistentry> <term><guimenuitem>Sort Descending</guimenuitem></term> <listitem><para> Sorts the messages bottom to top. </para></listitem> </varlistentry> <varlistentry> <term><guimenuitem>Group By this Field</guimenuitem></term> <listitem><para> Groups messages instead of sorting them. This makes each contact with identical properties in the specified field to be placed in its own group and physically separated from others. </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> When you choose this item, a list of column headers will appear; 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> </sect1> <sect1 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 filed automatically. </para> </sect1> <sect1 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> When you've entered your search phrase, press <keycap>Enter</keycap>. <application>Evolution</application> will show your search results in the message list. </para> <para> If you think you'll want to return to a search again, you can save it as a virtual folder by selecting <guilabel>Store Search as Virtual Folder</guilabel>. </para> <para> When you're done with the search, go back to seeing all your messages by choosing <guimenuitem>Show All</guimenuitem> from the <guilabel>Search</guilabel> drop-down box. If you're sneaky, just enter a blank search: since every message has at least one space in it, you'll see every message in the folder. </para> <para> If you'd like to perform a more complex search, open the advanced search dialog by selecting <guilabel>Advanced...</guilabel> from the <guilabel>Search</guilabel> drop-down menu. Then, create your search criteria (each with the same options you saw in the regular search bar), and decide whether you want to find messages that match all of them, or messages that match even one. Then, click <guibutton>Search</guibutton> to go and find those messages. </para> <para> You'll see a similar approach to sorting messages when you create filters and virtual folders in the next few sections. </para> </sect1> <sect1 id="usage-mail-organize-filters"> <title>Create Rules to Automatically Organize Mail</title> <para> Filters work very much like the mail room in a large company. Their purpose is to bundle, sort, and distribute mail to the various folders. 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, and it can do that quickly. Of course, it's also faster and more flexible than an actual person with a pile of envelopes. </para> <sect2 id="usage-mail-org-filters-new"> <title>Making New Filters</title> <para> To create a new filter: <orderedlist numeration="arabic"> <listitem> <para> Click <menuchoice> <guimenu>Tools</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Filters</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Press the <guibutton>Add</guibutton> button. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Name your filter in the <guilabel>Rule name</guilabel> field. For each filter criterion, you must first select which of the following parts of the message you want the filter to examine: <itemizedlist> <listitem><para> Sender - The sender's address. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Recipients - The recipients of the message. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Subject - The subject line of the message. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Specific Header - The filter can look at any header you want, even obscure or custom ones. Enter the header name in the first text box, and put your search text in the second one. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Message Body - Search in the actual text of the message. </para></listitem> <listitem> <para> Expression - For programmers only: match a message according to an expression you write in the Scheme language, used to define filters in <application>Evolution</application>. </para> </listitem> <listitem><para> Date sent - Filter messages according to the date on which they were sent: First, choose the conditions you want a message to meet — <guilabel>before</guilabel> a given time, <guilabel>after</guilabel> it, and so forth. Then, choose the time. The filter will 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 &mdash perhaps you're looking for messages less than two days old. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Date Recieved - 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> <listitem><para> Score - 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> <listitem> <para> Size (kb) - Sorts based on the size of the message in kilobytes. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Status - Filters according to the status of a message, such as 'New'. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Attachments - Create a filter based on whether or not you have an attachment in the email. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Mailing List - Filter based on the mailing list it came from. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Regex Match - If you know your way around a <glossterm linkend="regular-expression">regex</glossterm>, or regular expression, put your knowledge to use here. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Source Account - Filter messages according the server you got them from. You can enter a URL or choose one from the drop-down list. This ability is only relevant if you use more than one mail source. </para> </listitem> </itemizedlist> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Select the criterion for the condition. If you want multiple criterion for this filter, press <guibutton>Add criterion</guibutton> and repeat the previous step. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Select the actions for the filter in the <guilabel>Then</guilabel> section. You can select any of the following options. <itemizedlist> <listitem><para> Move to Folder - 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> <listitem><para> Copy to Folder - 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> <listitem><para> Forward to Address - Select this, enter an address, and the addressee will get a copy of the message. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Delete - Marks the message for deletion. You can still get the message back, at least until you <guimenuitem>Expunge</guimenuitem> your mail yourself. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Stop Processing - 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> <listitem><para> Assign Color - Select this item, and <application>Evolution</application> will mark the message with whatever color you please. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Assign Score - 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> </itemizedlist> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Set Status - If you want to add multiple actions for this filter, press <guibutton>Add filter</guibutton> and repeat the previous step. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Press <guibutton>OK</guibutton>. </para> </listitem> </orderedlist> </para> </sect2> <sect2 id="filters-edit"> <title>Editing Filters</title> <para> To edit a filter: <orderedlist numeration="arabic"> <listitem> <para> Select <menuchoice> <guimenu>Tools</guimenu> <guimenu>Filters</guimenu> </menuchoice> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Select the filter in the <guilabel>Filter Rules</guilabel> section and press <guibutton>Edit</guibutton>. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Change the desired settings. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Press <guibutton>OK</guibutton> in the filter editor window. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Press <guibutton>OK</guibutton> in the filter manager window. </para> </listitem> </orderedlist> </para> </sect2> <sect2 id="filters-deleting"> <title>Deleting Filters</title> <para> To delete a filter: <orderedlist numeration="arabic"> <listitem> <para> Select <menuchoice> <guimenu>Tools</guimenu> <guimenu>Filters</guimenu> </menuchoice> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Select the filter and press <guibutton>Delete</guibutton>. </para> </listitem> </orderedlist> </para> <para> <note> <title>Changing Folder Names and Filters</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. So be sure to change the filters that go with it. </para> </listitem> </itemizedlist> </para> </note> </para> </sect2> </sect1> <sect1 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 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> <note id="unmatched-vfolder"> <title>The Unmatched Virtual Folder</title> <para> Obveously, not all messages will fit into all your Virtual Folders. That's why <application>Evolution</application> includes an UNMATCHED Virtual Folder. The UNMATCHED Virtual Folder displays messages that are not matched by other rules. </para> </note> <example id="usage-mail-organize-vFolders-ex"> <title>Using Folders, Searches, and Virtual Folders</title> <para> To organize his mailbox, Jim sets up a virtual volder for emails from his friend and co-worker Anna. He has another one for messages that have ximian.com in the address and <application>Evolution</application> in the subject line, so he can keep a record of what people from work send him about <application>evolution</application>. If Anna sends him a message about anything other than <application>Evolution</application>, it only shows up in the "Anna" folder. When Anna sends him mail about the user interface for <application>evolution</application>, he 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) --> <sect2 id="vfolder-create"> <title>Creating Virtual Folders</title> <para> To create a virtual folder: <orderedlist numeration="arabic"> <listitem> <para> <menuchoice> <guimenu>Tools</guimenu> <guimenuitem>Virtual Folder Editor</guimenuitem> </menuchoice> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Click <guibutton>Add</guibutton> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Name your virtual folder in the <guilabel>Rule name</guilabel> field. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Select your search criteria. For each criterion, you must first select which of the following parts of the message you want the search to examine: <itemizedlist> <listitem><para> Sender - The sender's address. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Recipients - The recipients of the message. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Subject - The subject line of the message. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Specific Header - The virtual folder can look at any header you want, even obscure or custom ones. Enter the header name in the first text box, and put your search text in the second one. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Message Body - Search in the actual text of the message. </para></listitem> <listitem> <para> Expression - For programmers only: match a message according to an expression you write in the Scheme language, used to define virtual folders in <application>Evolution</application>. </para> </listitem> <listitem><para> Date sent - Search messages according to the date on which they were sent: First, choose the conditions you want a message to meet — <guilabel>before</guilabel> a given time, <guilabel>after</guilabel> it, and so forth. Then, choose the time. The virtual folder will 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 &mdash perhaps you're looking for messages less than two days old. </para></listitem> <listitem><para> Date Recieved - 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> <listitem><para> Score - Emails have a standard priority range from -3 (least important) to 3 (most important). You can have virtual folders set the priority of messages you recieve, and then have other virtual folders applied only to those messages which have a certain priority. </para></listitem> <listitem> <para> Size (kb) - Sorts based on the size of the message in kilobytes. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Status - Searches according to the status of a message, such as 'New'. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Attachments - Create a virtual folder based on whether or not you have an attachment in the email. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Mailing List - Search based on the mailing list it came from. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Regex Match - If you know your way around a <glossterm linkend="regular-expression">regex</glossterm>, or regular expression, put your knowledge to use here. </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Source Account - Search messages according the server you got them from. You can enter a URL or choose one from the drop-down list. This ability is only relevant if you use more than one mail source. </para> </listitem> </itemizedlist> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> Select the folder sources. You can select: <itemizedlist> <listitem> <para> Specific folders only <note> <para> If you select specific folders only, you need to specify the source folders in the box below. </para> </note> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> All local folders </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> With all active remote folders </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> With all local and active folders </para> </listitem> </itemizedlist> </para> </listitem> <listitem> <para> If you want multiple criteria for this filter, press <guibutton>Add criterion</guibutton> and repeat the previous step. </para> </listitem> </orderedlist> <figure id="usage-mail-vfolder-fig-createrule"> <title>Selecting a Virtual Folder Rule</title> <screenshot> <screeninfo>Creating a Virtual Folder Rule</screeninfo> <graphic fileref="figures/vfolder-createrule-fig" format="png" srccredit="Aaron Weber"> </graphic> </screenshot> </figure> </para> </sect2> </sect1> <!-- <sect1 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> <para> If you have configured any IMAP (mail) or NNTP (news) servers, you will see them listed in the left half of the subscription management window. Click on a server to select it, and you will see the folders or newsgroups available to you. You can then select individual folders and subscribe to them, or remove yourself from the subscription list. </para> <para> Once you have subscribed to a folder or newsgroup, your system will check for new messages whenever you press the <guibutton>Get Mail</guibutton> button. </para> </sect1> --> </chapter>