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About mail rules
Basic mail rules tell FirstClass how to handle the following mail:
• messages that you send
Rules only affect the copies of the sent mail that are left in your Mailbox (local copies).
• messages that you receive in your Mailbox
• messages that are received by conferences.
Each set of mail rules is associated with a particular container. You can set up rules for your Mailbox and for any conferences for which you have this permission.
For each container, separate rules control mail received by the container and mail sent from the container. Received mail rules apply to all containers, and run whenever that container receives mail. Sent mail rules apply to your Mailbox, and run whenever you send mail.
You can set up multiple rules for both received and sent mail. Each rule specifies a particular type of mail, and how FirstClass is to handle that mail. For example, your Mailbox may have rules to:
• delete all mail received from a specific address (such as joespammer@bugthem.com)
• file all mail with a certain subject in a specified subfolder.
You can open rules to update them, just as you would update other FirstClass objects.
Creating rules for received mail
To create a rule for mail received in a specific container:
1 Select or open the container.
2 Choose Collaborate > Rules.
The container's mail rules window opens. This window lists all existing rules for this container.
3 Choose File > New > New Receive Rule.
4 Update the Receive Rule form.
Creating rules for sent mail
To create a rule for local copies of mail that you send:
1 Select or open your Mailbox.
2 Choose Collaborate > Rules.
Your Mailbox's mail rules window opens. This window lists all existing rules for your Mailbox.
3 Choose File > New > New Send Rule.
4 Update the Send Rule form.
Creating advanced rules
If the Receive Rule and Send Rule forms do not cover the conditions or actions you want to specify, you can create an advanced mail rule. An advanced rule can apply to:
• received mail
• sent mail
• mail that you run rules on manually
• mail that users delete.
Note
Setting up a properly functioning advanced mail rule can be more complex than setting up basic receive and send rules. For that reason, we recommend that you do not create these rules unless you feel you have a good knowledge of mail rules.
To create an advanced mail rule, follow the same procedure you would for a basic receive or send rule, but choose New Advanced Rule, then update the Advanced Rule form.
Sorting rules
FirstClass runs rules in the order they appear in the rules window. To change this order:
1 Choose View > Change View Properties with the rules window open.
2 Choose None at "Sort on" on the Sorting tab.
3 Drag rules to their new locations in the list.
Running rules on demand
You can select mail, then run rules on that mail. This allows you to apply rules to mail that was created before the rules were in place, or to mail that would not otherwise trigger rules.
To run this container's receive rules, choose Message > Run Receive Rules.
To run this container's advanced rules (any created with the Run Manually trigger), choose Message > Run Manual Rules.
Sharing rules
You can move or copy rules among containers' mail rules windows.
Rules logs
Every time you create or update a mail rule, or change the order of mail rules, FirstClass compiles the rules for that container. This is done to locate any errors in the rules, such as a missing folder name. The results of the compile are recorded in a rules log that FirstClass places in the container's mail rules window.
FirstClass opens the rules log each time rules are compiled.
Each compile adds to this log. If you want FirstClass to start a new log, delete the old one.
Caution
Be sure to correct any errors reported by the log before your new or updated rule runs.
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