Creating E-mail Filters

E-mail filters can be used to automatically file messages to a folder, and they can be used to automatically delete unwanted messages. For example; you are on a conference mailing list and wish all related email messages to be stored in a single folder, you can create an email folder, sayPAC03, then create a filter which will auto-file all messages from a particular address or with a particular subject line into your PAC03 folder. Likewise, if you receive email advertisements from a particular address or with a particular word or phrase in the subject line and you do not wish to open these messages before deleting them, an email filter can be created to auto-file to Trash or auto-delete spam.

Please note: Filters you create for your email on your pc at work do not apply when you read your mail from home or from a different pc unless you consistently use webmail.jlab.org or run netscape from one of the central systems (jlabs1, jlabs2 or jlabh1). If you routinely read your mail from more than one location, you'll need to create filters from each workstation.

Netscape / Mozilla E-mail Filters

Netscape 7.0 / Mozilla 1.7

Open Netscape mail. From the menu bar, select Tools, then Message Filters. Click on the New button, and name your first filter, e.g., PAC03. Specifiy settings appropriate to your filter; e.g., Sender contains tesla@jlab.org or Subject contains PAC03. Then select the action you prefer; e.g., Move to folder, and specify the folder (PAC03).You can apply several filters simultaneously.

Netscape 4.75:

In the Messenger (mail) window, choose Edit, then Message Filters. In the Message Filters dialog box, click New and give your filter a title, e.g., PAC03. Specify settings appropriate to your filter, e.g., Sender contains tesla@jlab.org or Subject contains PAC03. Then select the action you prefer; e.g., Move to folder, and specify the folder (PAC03). You can apply several filters simultaneously.

Squirrel Mail (version 1.28) E-mail Filters

Open your browser to the page https://webmail.jlab.org and login with your JLab CUE username and password. At the top of the page you'll see a linear menu reading Compose Addresses Folders Options Search Help.

Select Options, then select Message Filters. You'll see three dialog boxes labeled: Match, Contains, and Move To. Create your filter using the most common item; if the Subjects are the most consistent, match your filter to Subject, then in the Contains box, type the word or phrase. Finally, select the folder in which you want the email to wait for you; be it Pac03 or Trash.

Close and restart webmail.

Outlook Mail Filters

Outlook also has mail filters, but uses different nomenclature. Open your Outlook Inbox and look for the Organize icon on the toolbar. In the Ways to Organize Inbox window, you'll see Using Folders, Using Colors, Using Views and Junk E-mail.

For messages you prefer to file into separate folders, e.g., PAC03, open Using Folders. The built-in wizard will step you through the process of auto-filing messages into specific folders with the parameters you specify.

Outlook has some pre-defined Junk Mail filters; you can add members to the Junk Senders List by right-clicking the message and selecting Junk E-mail from the pop-up menu. You can also edit this list from within the Ways to Organize Inbox window on the Junk E-mail tab.

This document is maintained by {helpdesk@jlab.org}