Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
I recommend starting with server-based rules if possible and then using rules in your email
client for the actions you can't accomplish on the server, like running user-defined
AppleScripts on matching messages or moving messages to mailboxes in other accounts.
Check with your email provider to see whether it offers server-side rules or filters, and if so,
what the procedure is to configure them. Here's how to get started with iCloud and Gmail:
•
iCloud:
Log in to your account at
iCloud.com
.
Click Mail, and then click the
gear icon in the lower-left corner and choose Rules from the pop-up menu.
Click Add a Rule to configure your first rule.
•
Gmail:
Log in to your Gmail account (using
this link
or whichever URL you
normally use for a Google Apps account with a custom domain). From the gear
pop-up menu at the top of the page, choose Settings, and then click Filters.
Click Create a New Filter to begin setting up a custom filter.
Although the details vary from one provider to the next, rules always contain one or more
conditions (things to search for) and then, when there's a match, perform one or more
actions. For example, look for any message from a certain address (say, a company's PR
department) and file it in a Newsletters mailbox.
If your email provider doesn't offer server-based rules, or if its conditions or actions don't
meet your needs, you can move on to rules in your email client. If Mail is your preferred
client, that's just one of the ways you can automate your email.
Tip:
A service called
SaneBox
will, for a monthly fee, perform an automated analysis
of your incoming messages, determine what's likely to be less important to you,
and move it out of your Inbox (providing only a brief summary). It can do other
tricks too, such as providing server-based rules—even if your email provider doesn't
offer them—and automatically moving attachments to cloud storage such as Dropbox.
Although SaneBox doesn't fit my model of email management, many people find it
immensely helpful.
Automate Apple Mail
Apple Mail is my email client of choice, and as I mentioned, I go to great lengths to automate
my email. In this chapter, I'll cover my three main techniques: using rules to pre-sort my
messages, using plug-ins to file and otherwise work with them once they're in my Inbox,
and using smart mailboxes for searching. This information largely comes from my topic
Take Control of Apple Mail
, which contains far more detail—not just about automation but
also about using email more effectively, troubleshooting problems, and becoming a better
correspondent.
