As much as Mac OS X ’s Mail app has ameliorate over the preceding couple days , those improvements have n’t yet compelled me to flip from using Microsoft Entourage as my primary electronic mail guest . Two of the reasons I still prefer suite are the thriving community of scripters that tally functionality to Entourage , and Entourage ’s superior rules — automatize actions that can be apply to messages as they arrive or whenever you ’re “ done ” with them . ( Mail has rules , as well , but its rule are n’t as powerful , or as pliable , as cortege ’s . For example , you ca n’t give a single prescript to messages in Mail — it ’s all or nothing . )
That enounce , I do use Mail regularly , just to stay in the grommet on how it ’s developing and to keep an eye out on available ADHD - ons — I have n’t rule out switching if Mail fills my need at some gunpoint . And every once in a while I find a real jewel , such as Scott Morrison ’s freeMail Act - On 1.3.1 ( ) . explicate simply , Mail Act - On lets you invoke mail rules using the keyboard . But that simple account belies how much functionality Mail Act - On can actually provide . Anything you may do with a rule in chain armour — move , transcript , forward , redirect , respond to , or erase a message ; ready the color and understand / flagged status of a message ; or even run an AppleScript — you may do via the keyboard using Mail Act - On .
That may not sound like a big pile , but trust me — Mail Act - On make Mail functionality it never had before . After establish Mail Act - On — it ’s a Mail male plug - in , place in ~/Library / Mail / Bundles — selecting one or more email messages and then iron the Mail Act - On activation samara ( by default , the ` key ) brings up Mail Act - On ’s cutoff screen . All rules that you ’ve set up for memory access via Mail Act - On show up on the silver screen , along with the shortcut keystone you delegate for each linguistic rule . For exemplar , here ’s Mail Act - On ’s default crosscut screen , displaying the two sample rules it make for you when it first play :
In this scenario , pressing therkey would change the highlight color of the selected message(s ) to red ink . ( If you ’d prefer a single keystroke to this two - stride process , you could but press Control+key , assuming you remember the key stroke assigned to a rule . ) Mail Act - On then briefly displays a substantiation alert , let you know precisely what you just did ; this is a nice touch that avoids those situations where you ’ve accidentally done something , but you do n’t know what . ( you could choose how long this alert appear via Mail Act - On ’s preferences . )
Besides the convenience of being able-bodied to hold a regulation to any message ( or grouping of messages ) on - the - fly sheet , Mail Act - On overcomes one of Mail ’s grown rule weakness — it let you apply a single pattern to choose messages . ( Mail ’s Apply Rules statement appliesallrules . ) This stand for that item-by-item rules can be used to serve messages after they ’ve been received . For example , you may set up a rule to mechanically move selected content to a “ Friends ” mail folder and depute that rule to thefkey . Voila ! You ’ve get down a keyboard crosscut for move message to a booklet — simply iron out ` thenf(or just Control+f ) .
How to you create ruler for Mail Act - On to habituate ? You use Mail ’s Rules druthers silver screen , just as you would any other rule , but with two twists : First , verify the condition part of the rule reads “ If any of the following conditions are met : Every content . ” ( This allows the dominion to act on whatever content you select . ) Second , you need to name your Mail Act - On rules using the next syntax :
wherekeyis the key you want to utilize as the principle ’s shortcut andrulenameis whatever name you want to give the convention . You then pick out whatever actions you want that principle to perform . ( take note that Mail Act - On ’s keyboard shortcuts are shell sensitive , sofis a different crosscut thanF. )
For example , if you wanted to create a Mail Act - On shortcut that marks a substance as flagged and then move it to your “ booster ” folder using the shortcut keyf , you would set up a convention called “ Act - On : f | Flag and move to Friends ” ; the experimental condition would be “ Every subject matter ” ; and the regulation ’s actions would be “ mark as Flagged ” and “ Move Message to mailbox : ally . ” After doing so , Mail Act - On ’s shortcut concealment will show the young rule and make it uncommitted as an alternative for processing message . ( Control+f will execute the rule ’s activeness immediately , bypassing the cutoff blind . )
One other caution here is that rules you produce for Mail Act - On should be placed at theendof the rules list , after any rules you might create for care all incoming post . To nullify problem , Mail Act - On automatically creates a rule send for “ Act - On : Stop swear out Receive Rules ” that ensures your Mail Act - On rules do n’t get practice to all incoming messages ; just drag your Modern Mail Act - On dominion below this convention and make certain any rules you desire to implement to all incoming mail are moved above it .
I mentioned earlier than one of Mail Act - On ’s enceinte feature is that it lets you apply a individual rule to selected messages . But it can also applymultiplerules to the same message(s ) . If you assign several unlike rules the same key ( for example , thefkey in the illustration above ) , pressing that cutoff will apply all of those rules to the selected messages . Mail only does n’t allow you to do this .
As a Mail plug - in , Mail Act - On capture its own screen in Mail ’s druthers windowpane . Via this silver screen you could customize Mail Act - On ’s activating key , the prefix and separator character you use in the name of rules , the sort lodge of item in the Mail Act - On screen , and the distance of time before the screen or confirmation qui vive disappear ( or whether or not they appear at all ) .
More tips on using Mail Act - On areavailablevia the utility ’s connection site . For illustration , some people apply Mail Act - On to assign “ Getting Things Done ” categories to messages and then to file them in correspond folders .
The only number I ’ve had with Mail Act - On is that when using it with IMAP subject matter , sometimes the “ state ” military action — mark as unread and flag — don’t work when the action also involves motivate a substance to a folder . I cease up creating two separate rule to accomplish this job .
I advert my phylogenetic relation towards Entourage at the beginning of this column . The reason I did that is to drive home the next point : Mail Act - On is such a cool add - on for Mail that if I ever do switch from Entourage to Mail , Mail Act - On will get a fully grown ball of the credit .
Mail Act - On 1.3.1 is compatible with Mail in Mac OS X 10.3 ( Panther ) and 10.4 ( Tiger ) .
