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Software > Email > Apple Mail >
Using Apple Mail: The Basics
Getting Started
If you have not configured the Mail program yet according to
the Columbia recommendations, please do so
now.
After starting Mail, you will see a window with three panes. On the
LEFT, the top pane lists the messages in the currently selected
mailbox, and the bottom pane (the message preview pane) displays the
contents of the currently selected message. On the RIGHT is the
mailbox pane with a list of all your mailboxes; clicking the
Mailbox icon in the toolbar opens and closes it.
Tip: You can control which information shows up in the message
list window by selecting Columns from the View menu and
choosing which items you want displayed.
The Mailbox pane contains a number of standard mailboxes.
- In is your "inbox," where new mail is received and where
mail you read is stored unless you move it elsewhere or delete
it.
- Out is your "outbox," where messages you've written and
saved until you send them.
- Drafts holds messages you've started to write but either
haven't finished, or don't want to send yet.
- Sent holds copies of messages you've sent.
- Trash holds messages you've deleted until you either empty
the Trash manually, or Mail empties it automatically. You can control
Mail's behavior in this regard through Preferences.
Tip: Once you log in, you will also see any other mailboxes you've
created. If you've created mailboxes on your local hard drive, the
mailboxes will be organized into an On My Mac section and a
section representing your account on the mail server.
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Sending a Message
You will learn to send email with Mail by sending a
message to yourself.
- Click the Compose button in the toolbar.
- A New Message window will open. Type your own e-mail address in the
To: field, e.g. jd1234@columbia.edu
- Enter something in the Subject: field that will identify the topic
of your message accurately and concisely. Test would be a good
choice here.
- Type a message in the composition area and click the Send
button in the toolbar. If this is the first message you've sent during
this session, you'll be prompted for your password. The progress will
be displayed in the small band at the top of the message list where
the message count is displayed.
Tip: Display the more full-featured Activity window by
selecting Show Activity Viewer from the Window manu.
Tip: If you want to send someone a blind carbon copy of your
message, select Add Bcc Header from the Edit menu.
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Retrieving and Reading a Message
It may take a few minutes for the message you just sent to arrive
in your inbox. If you try to retrieve it and get a message that you
have no new mail, wait a few more minutes and try again.
- To check for new mail manually, click the Get Mail button
on the toolbar or select Get New Mail from the Mailbox
menu.
Tip: You can configure Mail's automatic mail checking under Mail
--> Preferences --> Accounts.
- Select the test message in the message list to open it in the
message preview pane below.
Tip: To view a message in its own larger window instead of in
the message preview pane, double-click it instead of
single-clicking.
Tip: You must have an active network connection to view a message that
is stored on the mail server (Columbia IMAP). You do not need an
active network connection to view messages stored in mail folders on
your local hard drive.
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Replying to a Message
Now you will reply to the test message you sent yourself.
- With your test message displayed, click the Reply button in
the toolbar.
- Mail will open a message composition window with the To: and
Subject: fields filled in. The original message will appear in the
message text area, with room at the top for you to type your
reply. Click Send.
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Creating Additional Mailboxes
To create a mailbox on your hard drive...
- Select New Mailbox from the Mailbox menu.
- Select On My Mac from the Location: drop-down menu and type
a name for the new mailbox.
- Click OK.
Once you create a single mailbox on your local hard drive, the
mailbox display will change. You will see your local mailboxes listed
under On My Mac and yor mailboxes on the server listed under
your email address (for example, abc1234@columbia.edu).
To create a mailbox in your Columbia IMAP space, follow the
steps above, except start by selecting your email account on the
server (for example, abc1234@columbia.edu rather than On My Mac
in the Location: drop-down menu.
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Moving Messages Between Mailboxes
You will use this same procedure whether you are moving messages
between mailboxes on the server, between a mailbox on the server and
one on your hard drive, or between mailboxes on your hard drive.
You can use any of these three methods for moving messages:
- Select the message you want to move, select Transfer
from the Message menu, and then select the mailbox to which you want
to move the message, or
- Control-click on the message you want to move, and select the
destination mailbox from the drop-down list under Transfer,
or
- Drag the message header from the message list to a mailbox in the
mailbox list.
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Deleting a Message
Now you will learn how to delete messages that you no longer need. It
is very important to remember to do this, because if you allow your
inbox (or other mail folders stored on CUNIX, where IMAP stores them)
to continue to grow, you will exceed your space quota and be unable to
access your new email.
- Select your test message by clicking on it once.
- Click the Delete icon in the toolbar.
- If you change your mind and want to UNDELETE a message, you'll
find it in the mailbox named Trash.
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Working with Attachments
Attachments are files (for example word processing files or
pictures) that are sent along with email messages.
Sending an Attachment
Before you send an attachment, you should find out if the recipient
uses a mail program that can handle attachments, and whether he or she
has software capable of opening the file you're sending. You also need
to be aware of mail system restrictions on the size of
attachments. (Columbia restricts messages to 10MB each.)
You can attach files from any New Message window in one of
two ways.
- Drag the icon representing the file you want to send into the
New Message window. Remember that it is helpful to add an
explanation of what the attachment is in the message body.
- Click the Attach button in the toolbar, and select the file
you want to attach from the list of your computer's files which
appears. Click Open to attach the selected file to the
message.
Opening and Saving Attachments
You can open and/or save an attachment in one of two ways.
- Drag the attachment icon out of the message window onto any visible portion of your desktop.
- Double-click the attachment icon to open the file in the
appropriate application. You will need to choose Save As from the application's file menu to save the file on your hard drive.
Tip: Mail does not indicate in the message list whether a
message has an attachment by default. You can have it do this by
selecting Columns --> Attachments from the View menu.
Tip: If you receive messages with large attachments, you may want
to move them to your local hard drive and delete them from CUNIX to
avoid filling up your CUNIX space.
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