Filters

E-mail Filters
Client Comparisons
Using Filters
Setup Filters using Lotus Notes
Setup Filters using VCU Mail Anywhere on the web
Setup Filters using Mozilla Thunderbird
Setup Filters using Mozilla
Setup Filters using Outlook Express

E-mail Filters

Filtering is a very effective and efficient way to manage your e-mail messages.

You must:

• Determine which messages you want to filter and
• Determine what you want to do with the filtered messages, such as
  • block unsolicited mail and move to the Trash or
  • filter listserv messages to a special folder for future references or
  • prioritize importance of incoming mail by filtering to specific folder
• Determine the common text in those messages and set up your filtering criteria. You can filter on text in the To:, From:, or Subject: fields, a unique header, or text in the body of the message itself. You can also filter on more than one criteria.
• Please Note: Even if you choose to discard some types of messages, it is advisable to set the filters to send filtered mail to a separate folder. This allows you to verify the correctness of the filtering rules.

Using Filters

You first need to determine something unique about the messages from the list or sender that will allow the messages to be filtered out while leaving the rest of your mail intact. This could be something in the subject, a unique sender, something in the body of the message, or a customized header. You will also want to make sure you have a destination folder for your filtered messages.

Please note, the following instructions may not match exactly to the version of your e-mail client. You can always use Help from the menu bar and then search for 'Filters' (if using Mozilla) or 'Rules' (if using Outlook Express).

Mozilla Thunderbird / Mozilla

• Select Tools/ Message Filters
• Select New to create a new filter.
• Choose whether you are matching all or some of the following conditions.
• Select from the drop down list, if your criteria is based on: Subject, Sender, Date, Priority, To, CC, or To or CC
• Select the condition of: contains, is, begins with or ends with
• Then fill in your desired criteria.
• Next you will define the action to be taken if the criteria is met. This is done by using the drop down list.
• Once you have saved your filter it will appear in a list.
• You can make as many filters as you desire and put them in any order.
• They can also be turned on and off by checking the dot or checkmark under enabled.

Outlook Express

• Select Tools/ Message Rules/ Mail from the menu bar.
• Choose the conditions for your filter. You can have more than one.
• Select the action taken for this filter. Again, you can have more than one action to occur.
• Then give it a name. You will see it appear in a list of mail filters.