managing different junk folders

[mozurkewich]

I have two junk folders. One, "Junk Email" receives messages marked as junk by the server, which uses Outlook. The other, "Junk", receives messages marked by my Tbird client. I did this partly to see what was being done by each filter and partly because I don't trust the filter on the server.

What I would like is for my client filter to move the messages that it identifies as junk from "Junk Email" to "Junk". That would make it easier for me to spot mistakes made by the server's filter. It used to work that way before the server changed to Outlook and I found it quite useful.

But the messages in "Junk Email" never seem to be flagged as junk. When I flag them as junk, they stay in "Junk Email". Is there a way to get Tbird to treat messages downloaded in "Junk Email" the same as if they were downloaded in Inbox?

[DanRaisch]

Regarding filters, Thunderbird treats the Inbox folder as a special case. Filters will run automatically only on messages newly arrived to the Inbox folder. For other folders, or for messages previously received to or moved to a folder, filters would have to be triggered manually.

You could create a filter, associated with the Junk Email folder, that would mark all messages in that folder as Junk and move them to the Junk folder. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Junk_Mail_Controls

[mozurkewich]

You could create a filter, associated with the Junk Email folder, that would mark all messages in that folder as Junk and move them to the Junk folder. http://kb.mozillazine.org/Junk_Mail_Controls

You might know how to that but I haven't a clue, even after reading that article, some of the articles referenced in it, and rereading that article. I suspect it has something to do with filters.

OK, it does seem that I can run manually junk mail controls on the messages in "Junk Email" and get most marked as junk. That helps. It would help more if it then moved the marked messages to "Junk". Or maybe better, to "Inbox".

[DanRaisch]

You can set filters to take multiple actions on messages. So it would be possible to both mark messages in the Junk Email folder as Junk and move those messages to another folder.

Since for purposes of this filter you would be assuming that all messages in Junk Email are, in fact, junk, the filter definition could be set to include:
Manually run - checked
Match all messages - selected
From the drop downs, select "Status"+"is"+"New"
Perform these actions:
Set junk status to: "Junk"
Click the "+" button to add another criteria
Move message to: select "Junk" from the drop down list of folders.

[mozurkewich]

Thanks. I set that up and I'll see how it works. Looks good so far.

[mozurkewich]

This is now developing into a train wreck. The server put two non-junk messages in Junk Mail. I ran the filter, and they ended up in Junk. So I marked them as "not junk", Tbird moved them to Inbox, marked them as "junk", and moved them back to Junk. I tried again, same result.

I have tried changing the filter that moves messages out of Junk Mail so that it puts them in Inbox. That may have fixed the problem. I guess time will tell.

[mozurkewich]

Now it is not doing anything.

[DanRaisch]

The two non-junk messages that the server identified as junk: Are the sender's addresses listed in your Thunderbird Address Book? Were they both from the same sender or from senders in the same domain?

Maybe it's time to just deal with one Junk mail box and not try to finesse both the server's judgement and Thunderbird's at the same time.

[mozurkewich]

The two non-junk messages that the server identified as junk: Are the sender's addresses listed in your Thunderbird Address Book? Were they both from the same sender or from senders in the same domain?

Not in my address book, different senders.

Maybe it's time to just deal with one Junk mail box and not try to finesse both the server's judgement and Thunderbird's at the same time.

I'd love to be able to do that. But I can not disable the filter on the server. And I have no idea how to manage it from inside Thunderbird.

The new filter now seems to be doing nothing, after it seemed to work for a while.

[DanRaisch]

You can manage things in Thunderbird by changing the option under Tools->Account Settings->Copies & Folders so that TB works with the messages in the Junk Email folder rather than with a second, locally stored folder.

[mozurkewich]

You can manage things in Thunderbird by changing the option under Tools->Account Settings->Copies & Folders so that TB works with the messages in the Junk Email folder rather than with a second, locally stored folder.

I don't know what "works with the messages in the Junk Email folder rather than with a second, locally stored folder" means.

Things now seem random. Messages in the junk folder bot marked as junk. Messages marked as junk remaining in the inbox. A mess.

[mozurkewich]

I think my problem has been that I need two filters: one to move messages not marked as junk from Junk Email to Inbox and one to move messages marked as junk from Junk Email to Junk. I think I need to set them to only run manually o keep from getting surprises. Does that seem reasonable? Is there some reason that might be a bad idea?

If I set filters to only run manually, id there any possibility of them being applied to an unintended folder, such as Sent Items, unless I navigate to that folder and select tools/run filters on folders?

When I select tools/run filters on folders, will the junk filter be run as well as the filters that I created?

Is the only way to run a single filter to use the "run now" button?

Does "run selected filter on" apply only when the "run now" button is used?

[DanRaisch]

If I set filters to only run manually, id there any possibility of them being applied to an unintended folder,

If you set the filter to run manually you get to select which folder it will run against.

When I select tools/run filters on folders, will the junk filter be run as well as the filters that I created?

No, the Junk Mail Controls are separate from user defined filters and run only against the Inbox.

Is the only way to run a single filter to use the "run now" button?

Does "run selected filter on" apply only when the "run now" button is used?

Yes to both.

[mozurkewich]

Thanks. I guess now I just try it for a while.