Tips & Tricks
Netscape Communicator 4.x

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Automatic mailman
If you're getting tired of clicking on the Get Msg icon every time you want to check for new mail, you can have Communicator's Messenger do it automatically. To set this option, choose Edit, Preferences, Mail & Groups-Mail Server, which opens the Mail Server window. Click on the More Options button and the More Mail Server Preferences dialog box opens. Now just check the option Check for Mail Every and enter the number of minutes (how often Messenger logs on to the mail server to check for new messages). Click on OK to close this dialog box, then click on OK again to close the Preferences box. Now, once this option is set, Messenger has three ways to let you know that the mail has arrived: Your computer makes a "ding" sound; you'll see a green down arrow next to the Messenger icon of the Component bar; you'll see an envelope icon in the Windows 95 or NT taskbar tray.

Quick reply
Just received a message and need to reply right away? Right click on it, which opens a floating context menu, then select Reply to Sender or Reply to Sender and All Recipients. Compose the reply and fire it off.

Put it in your address book
Like most e-mail applications, Messenger includes an Address Book function that allows you to address the mail without typing in full names and addresses all the time. The Address Book is like an electronic Rolodex file, where you can flip through the files and select the addressees. Before you can do any flipping, however, you must put addresses in the book. There are several ways to do this, but here's the easiest:

Open the Message Center and select a message from the Message List pane. After the full content appears in the Message Content pane, you'll see a blue underlined link in the To, From, and Cc headers at the top of the message. Click on any of these that you want to add to your Address Book and a Card For dialog box appears. Fill in all the fields that you want in the name tab, then click on OK. The card is complete, and you've just made an entry in your Address Book.

Nickname, quickname
When you filled out the card for your Address Book (last tip), you saw the field in the card dialog box called "Nickname." This provides an even easier way for you to enter an address in a mail message. Once an Address Book entry has a nickname, you can enter the nickname in the To field of a message, whereupon the rest of the address fills in automatically. Make sure you make the nickname something short and easy to remember.

Nickname only
The last tip told you how a nickname allows you to address an e-mail quickly. When an address book entry has a nickname, and you enter this in the To (or Cc) field of a message, the e-mail address fills in automatically. However, you'll probably notice that the address fills in automatically if you enter the full name. This is a Communicator default setting, but you do have the option to have only nicknames expand to the e-mail address. To set this, select Edit, Preferences, Mail & Groups-Messages, then click on the More Options button from the Messages window. This opens the More Messages Preferences dialog box. In the section When Addressing Messages, check the option Expand Messages Against Nicknames Only. Click on OK to close the More Messages Preferences dialog box, then click on OK again to close the Preferences dialog box.

Group addressing
If you have a group of users that you want to send e-mail to, Communicator allows you to create a Mailing List. Your mailing list group can be represented in the Address Book by one nickname, making addressing even easier for a group. To create a mailing list, select Address Book from the Communicator menu, which opens the Address Book window. Click on the New List button and the Mailing List dialog box opens. You can give the list an "official" name in the List Name field, a nickname in the List Nickname field, and add a description. Now just add the entries in the mailing list field. The easiest way to do this is to enter the nickname, as the rest of the e-mail address fills in automatically. When you're finished, click on OK to close the Mailing List dialog box. Lists are distinguished from single entries in the Address Book by having a two-card icon, rather than the one card.

Here's my card
Here's a very handy way to let everyone know who you are when you send an e-mail message: Attach an Address Book card to the message. First you need to create the card in your Address Book, which is just the same as creating one for anyone else. Now after you have the card, you need to attach it to your outgoing messages. You can attach to every message you send or to individual messages. To attach to every message, select Edit, Preferences, Mail & Groups-Identity, and select the option Always Attach Address Book Card to Outgoing Messages. If you want to just attach messages individually, leave this option unchecked. When you create a new message, click on the Attach button and choose My Address Book Card from the menu.

Don't quote me on that
Normally when you reply to a message, the text of the original message is quoted--that is, distinguished from your reply text. The quoted text is identified by the > symbol before each line. Messenger actually gives you the option to not quote the original message every time you reply. To set this, choose Edit, Preferences, Mail & Groups-Messages, which opens the Messages window of the Preferences dialog box. Uncheck the option Automatically Quote Original Message When Replying, and click on OK to close the Preferences box.

Draft board
We've all started to write messages that we can't finish or don't want to send right away (like that letter of resignation, perhaps!). If you have such a message in Communicator's Messenger, just click on the Save button from the Message Composition menu. This message is immediately placed in a folder called Drafts, which you can see from the drop-down folder list. If you want to get back to the message, just select it from the Drafts folder. You can edit it or simply click on the Send button if and when it's ready to go.

Searching for that Gettysburg address
Communicator's Address Book function is not just for your own entries. You can also use it to search for e-mail addresses that are stored in Internet directories. So if you've been looking for that old long-lost college buddy who moved to Gettysburg, here's one way to try to track down his e-mail address. In Communicator, go to the Communicator drop-down menu and select Address Book to open the Address Book window. Enter the name of the person you're looking for in the text box. You don't have to enter the full name; for example, you could enter Abraham Lincoln, Abe Lincoln, A. Lincoln, or another variation. Go to the field at the right (the one that currently reads "Personal Address Book"), and click on the drop-down arrow to select a directory from the list. Click on the Search button. In a few seconds, a list of matching names and near matches will appear in the address window.

A more robust address search
The last tip taught you how to search for e-mail addresses using the Address Book. Communicator also includes a more robust method for complex searches. To get started, go to Communicator, Address Book to open the Address Book window. Click on the Directory icon to open a Search dialog box. Select the directory you want to search from the Search For Items field (you can click on the down arrow to see more directories). Now use the search criteria boxes to hone your search with additional information. The first two boxes contain predetermined keywords that you select, and the third box allows you to enter any words you want. You can refine the search further by clicking on the More button, which then adds another row of search criteria fields. Click on earch and you're off and running.

Get attached quickly
Communicator's Messenger has a quick and easy way to attach files to your mail messages. You can actually attach any file you want--programs, spreadsheets, graphics, sound, or video files. To attach quickly, create a new message, which opens the Composition window. In the address pane, to the left, click on the Attach Files & Documents icon (the paper clip), which opens an attachments area. Now you can attach any file by dragging its icon from your desktop work space into the attachments area. Continue with the rest of the message as you would any other mail message.

Web page attachments
You know you can share local files with others by attaching them to e-mail messages. But you can also use this feature to attach the URLs for Web pages that are stored elsewhere. Just create the new mail message as usual, then click on Attach and select Web Page. In the dialog box that appears, enter the URL of the page you want to attach, then click on OK. Continue with the rest of the message as you would any other mail message. When your recipient gets the message, the Web page will appear within it in all its glory (so long as they use an HTML-capable mail client, that is).

Send it right away
The last tip showed you how to attach a Web page to a mail message. Well, let's say you're surfing the Web and get the urge to let someone know about the great site you just found. Just right-click on the page and select Send Page from the context menu that appears. A new message Composition window will open and you'll see the Web page has been automatically added to its attachments pane. Continue with the message as usual.

Hide and seek
Messenger folders--particularly the Inbox--can get stuffed pretty quickly. For this reason, Messenger provides ways to display only certain messages in the folder at one time. To experiment with this feature, select View, Messages from the Messenger menu, then select one of the display options. New, for example, will display only messages that are marked unread.

Your own folders
Messenger already contains a bunch of useful folders, but there's no reason you can't make more of your own. Let's say you want to keep all the messages you've received from your boss in one place. Create a folder called "The Boss" and you're all set. To do this, either open the Message Center (go to Communicator, Message Center) and click on New Folder, or select File, New Folder from the Communicator menu. A New Folder dialog box will open. Enter a name for the folder (such as "The Boss"), then select a location. If you want to make this a top-level folder, that is, on the same level as Inbox or Trash, select Local Mail here. Note that you can also make it a subfolder, subordinate to another folder (such as "Work"). Click on OK to create the new folder.

Spread thread
To thread messages that are in Netscape Communicator's Message Center folders, just click on the button with the horizontal lines (immediately to the left of the Subject button). All messages that share the same subject heading (aka, threads) are immediately grouped together, with subsequent messages indented underneath initial messages.

Related subjects
While we're on the subject of message threads (see tip before), you should know that the subject lines don't have to be exact for messages to be considered part of the same thread. Replies to some messages may not contain the same subject line but are still included in the initial message's thread.

Select a thread
You'll often find it useful to select all messages in a single thread, perhaps to move them into another folder all at once. To do this, find the initial message of the thread, then click on the blue icon to the left of the message. The entire thread is selected.

Thread unread
Some threads contain unread messages. If this is the case, Communicator's Messenger puts a green down arrow next to the initial message in the thread. This makes it easier to find unread messages if, as a rule, you sort by thread rather than by date.

Mailing liszt
A mailing list is a great way to keep in touch with those in the e-mail set who share an interest of yours. If you're new to the concept, a mailing list is simply a list of e-mail addresses of people who want to receive and send messages about a certain topic (organic farming, certain computer games, European soccer teams--you name it, there's a mailing list for it). In order to get in on the discussion, you need to subscribe to the list, which means you send your e-mail address to a host address. There are, as you may gather, thousands of mailing lists out there, so it can be difficult to locate the one (or more) that's right for you. One source you can check out is the Liszt Web page at

http://www.liszt.com

which contains a searchable database of more than 50,000 mailing lists. It may not have every single mailing list out there, but you'll find one for just about any interest here.

Take me off the list
When you subscribe to a mailing list, make sure you pay attention to the instructions on how to unsubscribe to it later. Every mailing list uses a set procedure for unsubscribing, and it often involves sending an "unsubscribe" command to an address that's different than the regular mailing list address. Nothing raises the hackles of mailing list subscribers more than "unsubscribe" messages that go to the whole list. So be sure to save those instructions about unsubscribing when you sign up for any list.

Private parts
Sometimes you want to send a private message to another member of a mailing list that you subscribe to. This is perfectly reasonable and common, but before you send that message, always double-check the To field to make sure you're not sending the message to the list. (This is particularly important if you send a reply, because the address is often filled in automatically.) Many list members have been left red-faced after inadvertently sharing their private thoughts with the entire list.

Direct to the inbox
Communicator's Message Center supports a kind of mailing list called "In-Box Direct." These are services that send you messages containing specialized information, to which you generally do not respond. These might include local weather reports, stock market quotes, or general news. To find out more about some In-Box Direct services available to Communicator users, go to the Netscape home page at

http://www.netscape.com

and click on the In-Box Direct link.

Space is limited
Once you subscribe to a mailing list, you'll see your Inbox fill to bursting. While it may be exciting to get a bunch of new information or messages from new people who share your interests, it's pretty taxing on disk space. One way to combat this problem is to set a size limit on each message that you receive. This keeps those messages that exceed the bounds of sensible size off your hard drive (junk e-mail messages are some of the worst offenders).

To set the limit, select Edit, Preferences, which opens the Preferences dialog box. Next, click on Advanced and select Disk Space, which opens the Disk Space window. In the All Messages section, click on the first option, Do Not Download, and set a limit in the KB field. Click on OK to save your settings and close the Preferences box.

Filter tip
Communicator's Message Center includes a mail filter feature that can automatically move incoming messages into specific folders. You can, for example, have all messages from The Boss go directly into the "Get It Done Yesterday" folder, or all those stale jokes your Net surfing pal sends you into the Trash folder.

Setting up mail filters is very easy. First, open the Communicator Message Center, then select Edit, Mail Filters, which opens the Mail Filters dialog box. Click on New, which opens the Filter Rules dialog box. Enter a name for the filter--preferably something that tells you what it does--then set the rules for the filter. This is just a process of making selections from the criteria boxes (click on the drop-down arrows for more options). You might, for example, say that if the "sender" contains "The Boss," then "Move to folder" "Get It Done Yesterday." That's all there is to it. Click on OK to close the Filter Rules box, then click on OK again to close the Mail Filters box.

Newsgroup search
Finding newsgroups is no problem. Finding newsgroups that contain information you really want is a problem. If you want to find a particular discussion, there are search services that target newsgroups. One of the best known is Deja News, which you can find at

http://www.dejanews.com

This site allows you to search newsgroups for specific words and phrases. It returns any relevant messages it finds. You can also look for particular newsgroups by category.

Bookmark your addresses
Tired of going to the Message Center Address Book every time you want to send an e-mail message? Create a bookmark list for your address book. To do this, press Ctrl-B to open the bookmark file, then select the Toolbar Folder from the bookmarks list. Choose File, New Folder to open the Bookmark Properties box, then enter a name for the folder, such as "Address Book." Click OK, and your new Address Book folder is added to the Personal Toolbar. Now you need to add the e-mail addresses that will comprise the bookmark list. Right-click your new Address Book folder and select New Bookmark from the context menu. In the Bookmark Properties box, enter a name for the recipient, then enter the e-mail address preceded by "mailto:" in the URL field (for example, mailto:gaz@fullmonty.com). Click OK to close the box, then close the bookmark file. Now when you want to send an e-mail message, just click the Address Book button you added to the Personal Toolbar and select the appropriate entry!

Not animated
Animations are cool, but they don't usually add much information to the page that you want to load. Add to this the fact that they can slow the loading process, and you begin to ask yourself if you really want those cute animations in the first place. Well, if you don't want them, you don't need to load them. If you access a Web site with unwanted animations, just select View, Stop Animations from the Communicator menu.

Out of the frame
Communicator allows you to separate the image from the frame. To see an image out of its frame, right-click the image and select View Image from the context menu. The image will appear on its own in a new browser window. Just click Back to return to the frame.

Choosing a wallpaper
Sometimes you come across an image on a Web page that you like so much you want to see it every day. If this happens to you, why not wallpaper your desktop with that great image? Right-click the image, then select Set As Wallpaper from the context menu. That's it--you've just redecorated your desktop.

No frame of reference
Many Web designers find frames to be a useful way of organizing a page, but sometimes you just want to see all the stuff in the frame without looking at everything else on your screen. To focus in on the frame alone, right-click inside the frame and select Open Frame in New Window from the context menu. There you go--now the frame fills the browser.

Moveable walls
The last tip showed you how to put a frame in its own browser window. There's also a more flexible way to play around with the size of a frame. Just point your cursor on the frame border and, when the double-arrow icon appears, move it left or right (or up and down) to adjust the frame size.

The inside frame story
Frames are sort of like pages within a page. You know how Communicator allows you to see the source code for a Web page? Well, you can do the same thing with a single frame. Right-click inside the frame and select View Frame Source. The inside story is yours to behold.

Quote me on that
Communicator allows you a few options for quoted text in mail or newsgroup messages. Quoted text is displayed by default as plain text followed by the right arrow symbol (>). If you want to change the way this text appears, select Edit, Preferences to open the Preferences dialog box. Select Mail & Groups, then set your options in the top section (where it says Plain quoted text beginning with ">" is displayed with:). You can set the text style, size, and color. When you're finished, click OK to close the box and save your changes.
 

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Last update: 11/09/1999
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