Macworld: Overhauling the inbox ...

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18 Replies Last post: May 1, 2005 2:45 PM by argonaut 1 2 Previous Next

MW Forums

12,220 posts since
Aug 2, 2004

Apr 28, 2005 10:40 AM

Overhauling the inbox

A new version of Tiger brings a new version of the built-in Mail application. And Apple has taken great care to integrate OS X 10.4’s Spotlight search technology into the e-mail client. more

Lectrick

44 posts since
Oct 13, 2004

1. Apr 28, 2005 10:55 AM

in response to: MW Forums

Disappearing mail

After installing my preordered copy of Tiger and running Mail.app, I proceeded to click on my existing mailboxes but none of them contained any mail! Also, as I clicked on each box, the "count" of unread disappeared! Lastly, when I then tried to quit Mail, it seemingly ignored the request repeatedly and I had to force-quit it. Rerunning/rebooting didn't fix. I use gmail lately but I need Mail.app for archival purposes... Has anyone else seen this issue or knows how to fix it?

Luckily, I had backed up my ~/Library/Mail folder beforehand...

Spark

227 posts since
Aug 30, 2004

2. Apr 28, 2005 11:28 AM

in response to: MW Forums

Re: Overhauling the inbox

One function that I have not heard discussed, but is one of my gripes with old Mail is with the search function. Your get to select from a menu of "From... To... Subject... or Entire Message. This is fine, but I have never understood why there is not a default value or method to specify a default. For instance, if I am viewing the "In" box, 9x out of 10 I'm going to look for "From" values. Conversly, if I'm in the "Sent" box I will be searching for "To" values. Why can't the search criteria values not automatically switch to a logical default value? Instead, you go to look for a specific message in the "Sent" box, but you have to first remember to manually select "To" as the criteria. How dumb is that? It should default to "To" for Sent box and "From" for In box. I written Apple on this and keep hoping to see it in an update. Will Tiger get it right?

kbohnert

4 posts since
Oct 19, 2004

3. Apr 28, 2005 11:43 AM

in response to: MW Forums

Re: Overhauling the inbox

If anyone has the new version of Mail, I would like to know one thing...

Is there an action to "Print the Message"?????

That is the one thing that I hate about the current version, and it is even an option for Outlook Express on OS 9. Right now I have an external AppleScript set up to print it but it loses all formatting and is a kludge.

jpellino

35 posts since
Mar 27, 2005

4. Apr 28, 2005 12:18 PM

in response to: MW Forums

Would it kill them...

... to put "next" & "prev" arrows / buttons in the message toolbar?

Spark

227 posts since
Aug 30, 2004

5. Apr 28, 2005 12:40 PM

in response to: kbohnert

Re: Overhauling the inbox

My messages currently print with simple Command-P keystroke. What is the issue you have?

pkeene

420 posts since
Aug 7, 2003

6. Apr 28, 2005 12:42 PM

in response to: MW Forums

Re: Overhauling the inbox

Aqua, metal windows and now Tiger Mail's UI. OSX is starting to look like a patchwork quilt.

Peter

HumanJHawkins

541 posts since
Jan 22, 2003

7. Apr 28, 2005 1:21 PM

in response to: Spark

Re: Overhauling the inbox

In reply to:<hr />
My messages currently print with simple Command-P keystroke. What is the issue you have?

<hr />

I don't use mail.app and don't have it handy, so sorry for the easy question. But, isn't there also a "Print..." menu item in the file menu?

Thanks!

kbohnert

4 posts since
Oct 19, 2004

8. Apr 28, 2005 1:48 PM

in response to: Spark

Re: Overhauling the inbox

In reply to:<hr />
My messages currently print with simple Command-P keystroke. What is the issue you have?

<hr />

Yes I can just hit command-p. But this is for automation, we get lots of catalog requests and product orderssent to us by a script on our website and they come in at all hours. By getting them to print automatically I don't have to go in each morning and print them out for the people that need them. They are just waiting on the printer for those people to pick up (this becomes more of an issue if I'm on vacation). The automation aspect is nice.

Dan Frakes

3,389 posts since
Apr 14, 2003

9. Apr 28, 2005 1:55 PM

in response to: Spark

Re: Overhauling the inbox

In reply to:<hr />
For instance, if I am viewing the "In" box, 9x out of 10 I'm going to look for "From" values. Conversly, if I'm in the "Sent" box I will be searching for "To" values. Why can't the search criteria values not automatically switch to a logical default value? Instead, you go to look for a specific message in the "Sent" box, but you have to first remember to manually select "To" as the criteria. How dumb is that? It should default to "To" for Sent box and "From" for In box. I written Apple on this and keep hoping to see it in an update. Will Tiger get it right?

<hr />

Ah, and there's one of my biggest peeves of email clients

Spark, it isn't just Mail -- Entourage has the same behavior. Every time I use the QuickSearch field in Entourage, I say the same thing, grumbling, under my breath...

Dan Frakes | Senior Editor, Macworld

KernelG

81 posts since
Jan 25, 2005

10. Apr 28, 2005 2:21 PM

in response to: MW Forums

Re: Overhauling the inbox

One of the things which kept me away from Mail.app, even though it sounds silly, is the good old-school Space Bar method: hit it once to open a message, hit it again to page down, and when you reach the end, hit it again to go to the next message.

The current Mail.app can open a message by hitting the Return key, I think. But that seemed to be as far as it goes.

Hope I'm either making sense, or someone can happily tell me I'm wrong.

MojoMac

11 posts since
Apr 19, 2005

11. Apr 28, 2005 2:53 PM

in response to: MW Forums

Re: Overhauling the inbox

This might seem silly. All the enhancements sound great, all of which I'm looking forward to, but why is the mail box drawer only on the left side now? I've been using it on the right side for 3 years now! I prefer it that way. I'm sure it keeps in line with the side bar in the finder window, but I always like that I could use it on the right side, further distinction from the other mail clients. Maybe I'm in the minority on this.

pkeene

420 posts since
Aug 7, 2003

12. Apr 28, 2005 3:59 PM

in response to: MojoMac

Re: Overhauling the inbox

In reply to:<hr />
Maybe I'm in the minority on this.

<hr />

Then maybe I am too.

Peter

pcharles

348 posts since
Feb 23, 2004

13. Apr 28, 2005 6:26 PM

in response to: kbohnert

Re: Overhauling the inbox

In reply to:<hr />
Yes I can just hit command-p. But this is for automation, we get lots of catalog requests and product orderssent to us by a script on our website and they come in at all hours. By getting them to print automatically I don't have to go in each morning and print them out for the people that need them. They are just waiting on the printer for those people to pick up (this becomes more of an issue if I'm on vacation). The automation aspect is nice.

<hr />

Sounds like a job for A U T O - M A T O R!!!!!

kennethfcooper

170 posts since
Aug 27, 2004

14. Apr 28, 2005 9:00 PM

in response to: MW Forums

Re: Overhauling the inbox

I have never see much use in automatically placing incoming mail into special folders, except for "Junk". I am sure this is useful for some, but for me it would mean that I would have to examine multiple folders each time I checked mail to see if new mail had come in.

What I would like would be an auto-file featurea "File" button, which when pressed, would file the message I am reading into a mailbox based on my preset specifications.

In other words, after I had read a message in the Inbox, I would press the File button and the message would be filed into the correct mailbox.

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Apr 28, 2005 10:40 AM

Overhauling the inbox

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