Compose

Mail headers

This is the screen used to write new mail and send it. Some of the options here may be disabled depending on your administrators settings. The options at the top for the email headers are: From, Reply-To, To, Cc, Bcc, Subject. If identities are enabled, the From will be a dropdown list instead of a text box. If this is the case and you have specified your name and/or email address in your personal preferences, you will need to do this before you can send mail. If identities aren't enabled, this will be a text box in which you can enter your email address. If your From is disabled, it may be that your administrator has disabled the changing of it. The headers are self explanatory, though you should note that you don't have to have a To address, only at least one of the To, Cc or Bcc.

Address book

The address book on the right of the headers is a simple list, populated with all of your addresses and groups. The groups appear at the top, and the addresses are seperated by a line. You can an address or group to the mail headers by selecting it, and clicking one of the To, Cc or Bcc buttons appropriately. You can select multiple addresses/groups by hold down CTRL and selecting (Windows, other operating systems may vary). The simple Javascript search box underneath (browser permitting) the list allows you to search quickly for addresses/groups containing the phrase you type.

Attachments

Attachments can be uploaded by using the file upload option underneath the headers. A maximum size may be in effect, by default this is usually 2Mb, though it may well have been increased/decreased by your system administrator. Depending on the speed of your connection to the Internet and thus the webmail server, it may take a long time to upload large files (eg. a 2Mb file on a 56k modem will take roughly 5-10 minutes). Once uploaded attachments can be removed from the mail by clicking the "Remove" link next to its name.

Options

A few further options can be altered by clicking the Options button. This presents a new window where you can specify whether to request a Read Receipt, where to save a "Sent Items" copy, (if at all), the Sensitivity and also the Priority. You can then save or cancel these changes.

Body

The body is where you should type your message. When replying or forwarding a message there will most likely already be some text in here. If you wish you can also use the Append Signature to add your signature if you have one defined. This will always be added at the end of the text, no matter where your cursor is.

Actions

Once you've finalised your message, you can use the buttons at the bottom and top right of the body textarea to decide what to do with it. Cancel will forego sending the message, delete any attachments and return you to the message listing. Save Draft will save the message for another time, placing it in the folder designated as your drafts folder (this is only available if you are using IMAP). Send will do just that, and barring any errors will send the message.