Thunderbird Mail Filters

[Sweeney276]

Can somebody explain how I get replies to mails sent to a specific folder depending on who the mail is to, rather than having to run the filters on the sent folder after each posting?

[Guest]

I don't think there's a way (yet) to filter outgoing messages. Here's an old thread on the topic:
http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=28320

[Sweeney276]

Oh well, that sort of relegates Thunderbird to my back up MUA (over KMail and Sylpheed-Claws) until this glaring anomaly is fixed.

[makaiguy]

Here's a workaround that seems like it should work (haven't tried it):

1) Configure your Moz to NOT place a copy of your outgoing mails in the Sent folder

2) Configure your Moz to bcc your normal email address with all outgoing messges

3) Create filters to place incoming messages which are both FROM you and TO the accounts you want to track into the appropriate folders.

4) Create one more filter, placed below the ones above so that the ones above it will act first, to place any further messages from you into your Sent folder.

[Guest]

Doug, there's no problem in getting Thunderbird to send the replies to the correct folder, it just won't do it automatically. I've set up filters for incoming and outgoing mail but the outgoing mail can only go to one folder, and sending it to the correct folder means me running a filter manually on that folder.

For instance, suppose I have three folders called Girlfriend, Thunderbird List, Bank. And I also have a Sent folder and Trash. Setting up filters for mails FROM Girlfriend, Thunderbird List, and Bank will enable mail to be filtered AUTOMATICALLY into the folders on receipt.

Now let us suppose I want to reply to the mail from Girlfriend. Although I have set up the filters for messages TO Girlfriend to be sent to the Girlfriend folder, when the mail is sent, they go to the Sent folder and I can only get them to to go to the Girlfriend folder if I run filters manually on the Sent folder.

What I want is the ability automatically to send mail to the Girlfriend folder on despatch without having to run the filters manually. As I can only specify one folder for all sent mail, I COULD specify that folder to be Girlfriend but then Bank and Thunderbird List mail would also appear in the Girlfriend folder, requiring me to run the filters manually......

KMail and Sylpheed in Linux can do it, and almost every MUA I have seen in Windows can do it, so why not Thunderbird?

[makaiguy]

Please re-read the suggestion, specifically step 2.

The key is to automatically SEND yourself a bcc of your outgoing messages (Tools | Account settings | Copies and folders). When the system delivers these bcc's they will be INCOMING messages and your filters will automatically be applied. You can then filter the incoming messages for messages that are both a) from you and b) to Girlfriend, then move them into the appropriate folder. You can have as many of these filters as you need to trap messages you send to Girlfriend, Bank, whatever. Step 4 suggests a catchall filter to catch any remaining messages from you with no particular "to" address and divert them to Sent.

I also suggested disabling having outbound messages going to the Sent folder so you don't have duplicate copies of your sent messages hanging around.

It's a kludge and a workaround but it does work and should provide the funtionality you're looking for until something better gets coded in.

[Guest]

Does that imply that the mail will go though my mail server and back again, fprcing me to download all my own emails?

I'm contemplating a switch from Eudora, but this issue bothers me. I have tons of filters in Eudora.

[Robert Olesen]

I guess I should have used a username. Here's my alias.