#

## Getting Started with Netscape Messenger

#### Learn how to open your inbox and get started receiving and sending electronic messages:

To access your email messages, follow these steps:

1. Open your inbox by clicking Mailbox, located on the component bar, which is in the lower right corner:
2. In Windows, use the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard if you need to set required Mail & Groups preferences.
3. Use the Preferences dialog box to correct or change Mail & Groups preferences.
4. Use the Security Info dialog box to set defaults for sending and receiving encrypted and digitally signed messages.

### Details

To open your inbox without connecting to your server, from the Communicator menu, choose Messenger Mailbox.

### See Also

  Choosing and Using an IMAP or POP3 Server
  Using the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard (Windows only)
  Changing Mail & Groups Preferences
  Setting Preferences for Encrypted Messages
  Updating Your Message List
  Opening a Message and Its Attachments

### Troubleshooting

User name and password:
To access your mail server, you may need to enter your user name and password. Review your account information provided by your site or Internet Service Provider. Account information customarily contains user name and password information, as well as host names and port numbers.

Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard (Windows only):
If the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard comes up when you open your Inbox or click Get Msg on the toolbar, you must set required Mail & Groups preferences. In Windows, use the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard to help you set required preferences for receiving and sending messages.

Dialup:
If you are using an Internet Service Provider (ISP) account to provide a network connection over a phone line, when you click Get Msg, Netscape Messenger tells your modem software to dial up a connection to your ISP account, if a connection isn't currently established. To update your message list, you must be able to establish a connection.

If you cannot establish a connection, ensure your PPP and TCP/IP software is configured correctly, and that your ISP account is configured for PPP access. Your ISP representative should be able to assist you with configuring your network software.

### What's Next?

  Selecting Messages from the Message List

## About Messenger Windows

#### Identify Messenger's capabilities and key components.

Netscape Messenger receives, sends, handles, and helps you manage multimedia electronic messages and Collabra messages. To help you with these tasks, Messenger offers the following windows:

- Message List window lists messages contained in a message folder, such as your inbox
- Message Center lists your servers and folders
- Message Window displays an individual message
- Compose Message window provides tools for composing and sending a message

### What's Next?

  About IMAP, POP3, and Mail Servers

## About IMAP, POP3, and Mail Servers

#### Learn the advantages and disadvantages of using IMAP and POP3 servers, so you can choose the right service to access your messages.

Netscape Messenger can work with two different types of servers: IMAP and POP3. If your server supports both type of message storing, these descriptions may help you choose which you want to use:

Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP)

Advantages: Keeps messages individually on your server. When you open your inbox, you download message headers only. When you open a message, it's then downloaded to your local computer, so startup time is faster. Also, because messages are stored on the server, and changes are copied back from your local computer, you always have access to an updated mailbox.

Disadvantages: Unless you copy your messages to your local computer, if your connection to your server goes down while you're working, you must reestablish a connection before accessing messages, even though you can browse the headers. Connect time can be longer because you must either be connected while you are browsing your messages, or you must reconnect every time you access a message you haven't read.

Post Office Protocol (POP)

Advantages: Copies messages to your local computer all at once after you connect to your server. If your connection goes down while you're working, you have your messages.

Disadvantages: You must synchronize your local inbox with your server's mailbox. This can result in downloading new messages over and over (if you save your messages on your server), each time you connect, or can result in messages residing on computers you've previously used, but to which you may not currently have access. The end result is you are sometimes unable to access all your messages when you need to.

### See also:

  Changing Mail & Groups Preferences
  Changing Mail Server Preferences

## Using the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard (Windows only)

Use the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard to help set required preferences for receiving and sending messages. You must provide settings for all preferences in all Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard panels.

If at any point you do not know what the correct setting is, review the account information provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) or by your system administrator.

To use the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard:

- Provide a name or your password by clicking the text-entry area and typing in the characters exactly as reported to you. Be sure to match all characters, including upper and lower case.
- You can move through the panels without disturbing settings you have provided. To move from panel to panel, click Forward or Back.
- To dismiss the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard:
  - Save and use settings you have provided or changed by clicking Finished.
  - Abandon changes you have made since bringing up the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard and restore the previous settings by clicking the close box in the upper-left corner of the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard Window.
- Test your settings by clicking Get Msg on the toolbar of a Message List window, such as your inbox. If your settings are all correct, your inbox either receives new messages or reports that there are no new messages.

## Preferences Set with Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard (Windows only)

The Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard asks you to provide settings for preferences that have not been preset. If a setting has not been provided, or you do not know it, you must exit the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard and consult your ISP or site's help desk.

Preference settings the Mail & Discussion Groups Wizard needs to know are:

- Your user name on the mail server that delivers (POP) or stores (IMAP) your messages. If you are using an Internet Service Provider (ISP), use your login name for your ISP account.

  Example: bongo

- Your password on the mail server that delivers your messages or makes your messages available. If you are using an ISP or some other system that requires logging in, provide the password you use when you log in.
- Your return address, which should have been supplied to you with your ISP account information or through your system administrator. Your return address is usually your user name combined with your site and domain names.

  Example: bongo@drums.org

- Your real name, which Netscape Messenger automatically includes with your user name when you send a message. This could also be your pen name.

  Example: Chris King

- The name of the mail server that delivers your messages, and whether it is an POP3 or IMAP server. Mail server name and type of mail delivery should be part of your account information you received from you ISP representative or from your system administrator.

POP3 servers download messages in their entirety. After downloading messages, you can disconnect and still read your messages; however, your local inbox, especially if you use multiple machines, can become out-of-sync with the spool on your server. This can cause messages to be unavailable, if you've downloaded them to machines to which you do not have constant access.

IMAP servers download message headers only and store your messages individually on your mail server. When you open a message, you access the message on the server. This helps to you to maintain a single mailbox and eliminates many synchronization problems. However, IMAP requires longer connect time, if you are using a dial-up connection.

- The name of the mail server that sends your messages, which is also known as your SMTP host. The name of your SMTP host may not have been reported to you in your ISP information or by your system administrator. In most cases your SMTP host is the same as your POP3 or IMAP host.
- Name and path of your local folders.

#

## About Accessing Messages

To read a message in your inbox or some other mail folder, you must:

1. Open the folder in which the message resides, such as your inbox.
2. Select messages from the message list.
3. Open the message in the message panel, or by opening a Message window.

## Selecting Messages from the Message List

Each Message in a message list is represented by a message header summary. A message header summary consists of pieces of information that can help you in identifying determining how to handle the message.

- To select a message and make it the current message, click its message header summary.
- To select multiple messages, hold down the Control key (Windows) or the Command key (MacOS) while clicking each summary or while dragging the cursor over multiple summaries.

## Using the Message Panel

When the message panel is open, it displays the body of the current message and enables you to access inline message attachments.

- Open and close the message panel by clicking the message panel control on the lower left of the Message List window:
- Use the opened message panel to display the next or previous message by clicking Next on the toolbar or by selecting Previous from the Go menu, respectively.
  - If you have a single message selected, the message panel displays the next or previous message from the message list.
  - If you have multiple messages selected, the message panel displays the next or previous message from your selection.

## Displaying Messages in Message Windows

To open a message in its own message window, double-click the message's summary in the message list.

To display multiple messages simultaneously, each in its own Message Window:

1. Hold down the Control key (Windows) or the Command key (MacOS) while clicking message summaries in the message list. (Please use this feature with caution. Opening too many windows can cause performance problems.)
2. From the File menu choose Open.

## Using a Message Window

After opening a single message in a Message Window, you can display other messages in the current folder.

- To view the next message, click Next on the Message Window toolbar.

Details:

- Next depends on how you sort messages in your current folder, which messages are visible, and whether you are navigating through a selected list of messages or the entire folder.
  - If you aren't viewing a selected list of messages, and you sort messages by date and hide read messages, the next message is the most recent unread message following your current message.
  - If you are navigating a selection list, Next only displays sequential messages in your selection list and follows the order in which you sort the current folder.

## Printing Selected Messages

You can print a message from the Message window, or from the Message List window, if the message panel is open and the message you want to print is being displayed.

To print the currently displayed message, click the Print button on the toolbar.

## Updating Your Message List

To download new messages into your inbox (POP3) or to update your message list so you can see new messages, from your inbox or any Message List window, click Get Msg, which is the left-most button on the toolbar.

Even though you can update your inbox when it's not displayed, unless you have mail filters that automatically file your new messages, the only folder that receives new messages is the inbox.

## Determining If New Messages Have Arrived

The Mailbox button on the component bar can alert you that new messages have arrived on your server. Netscape Messenger checks your server periodically. After finding new messages, the Mailbox button displays a green dot.

#

## About Composing Messages

#### Learn how to compose and send messages.

You can send a message using any of the following methods:

- Use a New Message Window to create and send a new message or reply. To bring up a New Message Window:
  - From any Netscape Communicator Window, open the File menu and choose New Message.
  - While displaying a message in a Message or Message List window, click Reply on the toolbar and choose from the Reply menu.
  - From the results of a directory search, select from the matching entries and click Compose Message.
  - From the Address Book window, select an address book card and click New Msg.
- Forward a message you've received.
- Automatically send a file through the use of a message filter.

## Using the New Message Window

Use the New Message Window to address, compose, and send email and Collabra messages. The New Message Window contains the following tools:

- Toolbar, which has the following buttons:
  - Send
  - Quote
  - Address
  - Attach
  - Spelling
  - Save
  - Security
  - Stop
- Address List Tab to create or edit the address list.
- Attachments List Tab to attach files to your message by using drag and drop.
- Message Options Tab to request a return receipt, override default message priority (Windows only), prevent encryption, prevent attachment of your digital signature, and override the default character set labeling.
- Subject area to create and edit the subject.
- Composition area, which contains either a simple text-entry area for composing a plain-text message, or Netscape Composer for composing HTML messages.

## Addressing a Message

While composing a message in the New Message Window, you can add, edit, or delete items from the address list. An item in the address list can be an email address, a nickname, a mailing-list name, or the name of a discussion group.

#### Adding Addresses to the Address List

To add addresses to the address list of your current composition, you can use either or both of the following methods:

- Select addresses from the results of a directory service or address book search.
  To launch a directory search, click Address on the toolbar.
- Click the Address List tab and use your keyboard to type in addresses:
  1. Click the Recipient button and from the resulting menu choose a recipient type.
  2. Click the blank line to open it for editing.
  3. Type addresses, using a space to separate a new address from the previous. All addresses typed on a single line obtain the current recipient type for that line. Press Return to close the line. Multiple addresses will be converted to individual lines.

## Recipient Types and What They Mean

An address in an address list can have one of the following recipient types:

To | Primary recipients of your message.
CC | Carbon Copy, for secondary recipients.
BCC | Blind Carbon Copy, for secondary recipients not identified to the other recipients, including those in the CC list.
Group or Discussion | Posting to a discussion group.

#### Editing Addresses in the Address List

To edit addresses in the address list of your current composition

1. With your cursor, select part or all of an address you want to edit.
2. Type your correction and press Return.

To change an address's recipient type, click the Recipient button and from the menu choose a different recipient type.

#### Deleting Addresses from the Address List

To delete addresses from the address list of your current composition

1. With your cursor, select part or all of an address you want to delete.
2. Press Delete to remove the selection. If the line is now empty, to delete the empty line, press Delete again.

## Quoting Original Text

While you are composing a reply in a New Message Window, you can include text from the original message.

- Include text from a message to which you are replying by clicking Quote on the toolbar of the New Message Window.
- Stop the inclusion of text at any point by clicking Stop on the toolbar of the New Message Window.

Details

Text from the original message appears in your composition according to font and color preference settings for quoted text. Use the Compose pane of Mail & Groups Preferences to customize these settings.

To quote original text automatically when you reply to a message, set preferences for the quoting of original text. Use Mail & Groups preferences to change your setting.

## Using the HTML Mail Question Dialog

The HTML Mail Question dialog comes up when you try to send a message to someone who does not want to receive HTML messages or when Messenger cannot determine whether your recipient can display HTML messages. If you are in doubt as to what to do, sending plain-text only is the most efficient type of message to send.

Click Recipients to record settings for your current message's recipients.

## Using the Recipients Panel

Use the Recipients panel to remember whether your current recipients prefer HTML messages. Use the tools of this dialog to move recipients from one column to another.

Once you set a recipient's HTML preference, you won't see the HTML Mail Question dialog again unless Messenger is uncertain about any of your recipients' HTML preferences.

## Looking up Addresses through a Directory Service

To lookup an email address for someone you want to send a message to, you can use address lookup services, if they are available where you are working.

To search an address book or directory lookup service:

1. From the Edit menu of any Folder, Thread, or Message window, choose Search Directory.
2. Use the Search dialog to:
   - Provide keywords for which to search.
   - Choose the type of information to which your keyword relates.
   - Choose an address book or lookup service in which to search.

## Using the Search Dialog Box to Lookup Addresses

To use the Search dialog to search through address books or address-lookup services, follow these steps:

1. Focus your search by pulling down the folder list and choosing an address book or lookup service.
2. Pull down the type list and choose the address book information type in which you'd like to match your keyword.
3. Pull down the condition list and choose a search condition.
4. Enter the keyword in the text entry area to the left of the type and condition lists.
5. If you want to provide an additional keyword, which enables you to conduct a more detailed search, click More.
6. Enter an additional keyword type, condition, and keyword.
7. Click Search to launch your search.

Details

The search results area displays a list of address entry summaries that match your search.

#

## About the Address Book

Use an address book to store and maintain information about individuals and to create mailing lists and nicknames.

After creating entries in an address book, you can use address book entries to look up information about your personal contacts, such as email addresses and phone numbers. You can also access system-wide address books if they are available at your location.

Use the Address Book window to create, store, and edit address book entries. An address book entry stores names, postal addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and other information about an individual, such as whether the recipient prefers plain-text or rich-text messages.

You can also use an address book to associate a number of email addresses with a single nickname, which becomes a mailing list.

## Adding a Card to Your Personal Address Book

To create an address book entry for an individual, follow these steps:

1. From the toolbar of the Address Book window, click New Card, which brings up the New Card dialog.
2. Use the New Card tab dialog to enter information to store in the address book entry.
3. In the New Card dialog:
   - To add your entry to your address book, click OK.
   - To dismiss the New Card dialog without adding your current entry to your address book, click Cancel.

## Using the New Card Tab Dialog

To enter or edit a real name, email address, nickname, and special notes associated with an address book entry, or to add or change whether a recipient prefers to receive messages formatted in HTML, use the General tab of the New Card dialog.

1. In the New Card dialog, click General.
2. Provide the subject's real first and last names.
3. Enter or edit the subject's email address. If you do not know the subject's email address, refer to Looking up Email Addresses.
4. Enter a nickname for the subject's email address. A nickname can be any name you choose. You can use this instead of the subject's email address when sending a message.
5. Record special notes by typing the notes into the Notes area. Notes are for your convenience and have no direct function.
6. Choose HTML if the subject prefers to receive HTML. If you do not have HTML chosen, the subject receives the unformatted text of your message composition.
7. Click another tab to change or enter more information. To add your current entry to the current address book, click OK. To dismiss the New Card dialog without changing the address book, click Cancel.

## Using the New Card Contact Tab Dialog

To enter or edit the company name, professional title, postal address, and phone and fax numbers in an address book entry, use the Contact tab of the New Card dialog.

1. In the New Card dialog, click Contact.
2. Provide the name of the subject's company, the subject's professional title, and the subject's postal address.
3. Provide the subject's work phone number, fax number, and home phone number.
4. Click another tab to change or enter more information. To add your current entry to the current address book, click OK. To dismiss the New Card dialog without changing the address book, click Cancel.

## Using the New Card Netscape Conference Panel

To enter or edit the Conference address, and whether the individual uses a 411 Server or a Conference host, use the Netscape Conference tab of the New Card dialog.

1. In the New Card dialog, click Netscape Conference.
2. Enter the subject's Conference Address.
3. Choose 411 Server if the subject uses a 411 Server as the Conference server. Choose Conference Host if the subject uses a Conference host other than 411.
4. Click another tab to change or enter more information. To add your current entry to the current address book, click OK. To dismiss the New Card dialog without changing the address book, click Cancel.

## Adding a Mailing List to Your Personal Address Book

To create a mailing list and add it to your address book:

1. Click New List on the toolbar of the Address Book window to bring up the Mailing List dialog.
2. Use the Mailing List dialog to give a name to your mailing list and to add email addresses to it.

## Using the Mailing List Dialog

To use the Mailing List dialog to create or edit a mailing list:

1. Enter or edit the list name. This is the primary name for the mailing list, and the name you use like an email address when sending mail to the members of the list.
2. Optionally, you can provide a list nickname. You can use the list nickname as you would the list name.
3. Enter a description. The description you provide hear appears in the message headers similar to a recipients real name.
4. Add a member to the list by clicking an empty line in the address list and typing the email address of a member. You can add other list names and nicknames to the list too. Remove a member from the list by clicking the member's entry in the address list, then clicking Remove.
5. To add the list to the current address book, click OK. To dismiss the New Card dialog without changing the address book, click Cancel.

## Looking Up and Using Addresses from Address Books

Use the Address Book Window to lookup email addresses and other information from address books and address lookup services.

To lookup an email address by using the Address Book, follow these steps in order:

1. From the Communicator menu of any window, choose Address Book.
2. Use the Address Book window to search through your address books.

## Searching an Address Book

To search address books for information about individuals and mailing lists, follow these steps:

1. In the keyword entry area, enter a word for which you want to search.
2. From the address book section list, choose an address book or lookup service in which to search.
3. Click Search.

Details:

When deciding on a keyword to enter for a search, try to be as precise as possible. General keywords are real names, but they can also be professional titles, corporate names, phone numbers, or other contact information. After deciding on a keyword, be sure to choose the type of information your keyword needs to match. For example, when searching for a keyword "Pat," be sure to choose "Name" from the search selection list.

The address book search engine displays a list of entries that match your search criteria. This list is called the address book summaries list.

## Using the Address Book Summaries List

To use the Address Book summaries list to select entries you want to open or use, follow these steps:

1. Select address book entries:
   - Click a summary to select the associated address book entry.
   - Select multiple entries by holding down the Control key while clicking a summary you want to add to your selection.
   - Select all the listed summaries by going to the File menu and choosing Select All.
2. Open a composition addressed to the email addresses of selected entries by clicking Compose, which is on the Address Book toolbar.

#

## About Message Folders

The following tasks involve organizing and maintaining message folders:

- Filing messages to folders
- Compressing message folders
- Emptying the Trash folder
- Clearing your Sent folder

## Filing Messages

To file messages from your Inbox to another folder, or from one folder to another:

1. Create the folder.
2. Move selected messages into the folder.

## Creating a Message Folder

To create a message folder:

1. Open the New Folder dialog:
   - In either your Message Center folder window, or in a message list window, from the File menu, choose New Folder.
   - Or, click New Folder on your Message Center folder window toolbar.
2. In the New Folder dialog box, enter a name for your new folder.
3. Click OK.

## Opening a Message Folder

To open a message folder and display its message list:

1. Open the Message Center folder window by going to the Communicator menu and choosing Message Center.
2. In the folder list, double-click the folder you want to open.

When you open a message folder, the folder's message list is displayed in a Message List window.

## Moving Messages From One Folder to Another

You can move messages from one folder to another by using either of these methods:

1. Select messages in the message list, click File on the toolbar, and choose a folder.
2. Drag messages from the message list and drop into a folder in the folder list.

## Dragging and Dropping Messages

To drag and drop messages from one folder to another:

1. Open the folder in which the messages currently reside.
2. In the Message List window, open the folder panel and display the folder to which you are filing.
3. In the message list, select the messages you want to file, and drag them to the folder displayed in the folder list.

## Searching Folders or Discussions for a Message

To search a folder for specific messages, follow these steps:

1. Open the Search dialog from any Folder, Message List, or Message Window by going to the Edit menu and choosing Search.
2. Use the Search dialog to:
   - Provide keywords for which to search
   - Specify which parts of messages you want to search
   - Specify a folder in which to search
   - Launch the search
   - Select from a list of matches

## Using the Search Dialog to Find Messages

To use the Search dialog to search mail folders or discussions for specific messages, follow these steps:

1. Pull down the folder list and choose where you want to focus your search.
2. Pull down the type list and choose the part of the message in which you'd like to match your keyword.
3. Pull down the condition list and choose a search condition.
4. Enter the keyword in the text entry area to the left of the type and condition lists.
5. If you want to provide an additional keyword, which enables you to conduct a more detailed search, click More.
6. Enter an additional keyword type, condition, and keyword.
7. Click Search to launch your search.

## Renaming an Existing Folder (Windows only)

To rename an existing folder:

1. Open your Message Center. To open the Message Center window, from the Communicator menu, choose Message Center.
2. In the Message Center window, select the folder you want to rename.
3. From the Edit menu of the Message Center window, choose Folder Properties.
4. Use the Filter Properties dialog to change the name of the folder.

## Using the Folder Properties Dialog (Windows only)

Use the Folder Properties dialog to change the name of a folder and to view information about the folder's contents.

To change the name of the folder, select the current folder name and type a new name.

#

## About Filtering Messages

To automatically handle messages that match criteria you set, create and maintain a mail filters list by using the Mail Filters dialog.

To bring up the Mail Filters dialog, from the Edit menu, choose Mail Filters.

## Using the Mail Filters Dialog

Use the Mail Filters dialog to manage your list of filters.

- To create a filter, click New, which brings up the Filter Rules dialog.
- To edit a filter:
  <TYPE="1">
  1. In the filter list in the upper left, click the filter's name.
  2. Click Edit, which brings up the Filter Rules dialog.
- To delete a filter:
  <TYPE="1">
  1. In the filter list in the upper left, click the filter's name.
  2. Click Delete.

#### Activating and Deactivating Filters

To activate or deactivate a filter, use the check column of the filters list:

- To activate a filter in the filters list, click the dot to the right of the filter name. When you click the dot, it changes to a check.
- To deactivate a filter in the filter list, click the check to the right of the filter name. When you click the check, it changes to a dot.

#### Changing Filter Precedence

To change the order in which filters are applied, which is called filter precedence:

1. In the filter list, click a filter's name.
2. To increase the precedence of the filter, click the Up arrow. To decrease the precedence of the filter, click the Down arrow.

#### Logging Filter Activity

To log filter activity, which can help to debug filtering:

1. Click the checkbox Log Filter Use.
2. To display the filter log, click View log.

#### Saving the Current Filter List

- To save the current state of your filters list, including filter activation and logging, click OK.
- To abandon changes and close the dialog, click Cancel.

## Using the Filter Rules Dialog

Use the Filter Rules Dialog to edit or define an action you want a filter to perform and the type of messages to which you want to apply the action.

To use the Filter Rules dialog:

1. Provide or edit the name of a filter in the Filter name box. All filters must have a name.
2. Provide conditions for matching messages. The filter action applies to all messages that match conditions you set here.
3. Assign an action for the filter to perform:
   - To automatically file messages to a folder, click Move to Folder and select a target folder from the folder list.
   - To automatically set the message priority, click Change priority and select from the list of message priorities.
   - Automatically mark the message read by clicking Mark read.
   - Automatically move the message to the Trash by clicking Delete.
4. Activate the filter by clicking On.
5. Save the filter and its rules, and return to the Filters Dialog by clicking OK. To abandon changes made to the filter rules, and return to the Mail Filters dialog, click Cancel.

#

## About Setting Mail & Groups Preferences

#### Learn how to configure and personalize Messenger by setting Mail & Groups preferences.

To bring up the Mail & Groups Preferences dialog:

- From the Edit menu and choose Preferences.
- After opening the Preferences dialog, use the list on the left to open the Mail & Groups Preferences menu.

## Using the Mail & Groups Preferences Dialog

Use the main pane of the Mail & Groups Preferences dialog to customize how message text is displayed and to configure how you use the Message List and Message Windows.

#### Customizing Fonts for Message List and Message Windows

- To change how quoted text appears in message replies:

1. Choose one of the styles listed in the Style box - Regular, Italic, Bold, or Bold Italic.
2. Choose one of the sizes from the Size box - Regular, Bigger, or Smaller.
3. Choose a color by clicking the Color box, which brings up the Color dialog.

- When choosing between fixed-width or variable-width fonts, you may find a fixed-width font is more suitable if you routinely receive messages with complex, plain-text formatting. Variable-width fonts conserve space and are easier to read.

#### Configuring Reuse of Message List and Message Windows

- To display all Message Lists (discussion threads) in a single Message List window, check Reuse message list window . Otherwise, if you want to open a new Message List window each time you open a mail folder or discussion group, clear the checkbox by clicking it.
- To display all messages in a single Message window, check Reuse message window .Otherwise, if you want to open a Message window each time you open a message, clear the checkbox. Without Reuse set, be careful when opening multiple messages at once.

#### Enabling sound alert for new messages

To be notified by sound each time you receive new mail, check Enable sound alert when messages arrive.

To dismiss the preferences dialog:

- Click OK to save all the changes you've made to all preferences since bringing up the preferences dialog.
- Click Cancel to abandon all changes you've made to all preferences since bringing up the preferences dialog.

## Setting Mail & Groups Preferences for Your Identity

To set Mail & Groups Preferences that identify you by your user name, real name, and whether you prefer to receive HTML messages, use the Identity panel of the Mail & Groups Preferences Dialog.

To bring up the Mail & Groups preferences dialog:

- From the Edit menu of any Communicator window, select Preferences.
- In the canonical list on the left side of the Preferences dialog, click Mail & Groups.

## Using the Mail & Groups Preferences Identity Panel

- To specify or change your real name, which is included in message headers along with your user name, type your real or invented name in the Your name text-entry area.
- To specify or change your email address, which is included in your outgoing messages' headers, use the Email address text-entry area.
- To specify or change your return address, which is included in your outgoing messages' headers and used by recipients when replying, use the Reply-to address text-entry area. If your Reply-to address is identical to your email address, you do not need to provide your return address.
- For PC and Unix users, to automatically append a plain-text signature file to all outgoing messages, in the Signature file text-entry area, enter the absolute path to your signature file. Click Browse to use a file browser to locate your signature file and automatically provide its path.
- To automatically attach your own signature file to all outgoing messages (PC and Unix only), check the associated checkbox. To create or edit a signature card for yourself, click Edit Card to open up the Edit Card dialog.
- For Macintosh users, check Use Internet Configuration system to automatically establish the connection between Communicator and a remote server.
- To dismiss the preferences dialog:
  - Click OK to save all the changes you've made to all preferences since bringing up the preferences dialog.
  - Click Cancel to abandon all changes you've made to all preferences since bringing up the preferences dialog.

## Creating a Personal Card

To create a personal address book card that contains personal information about yourself you want to attach to your outgoing messages, follow these steps (PC and Unix users only):

1. From the Edit menu of any Communicator window, select Preferences to open the Preferences dialog.
2. Under the canonical list to the left, under Mail & Groups, click Identity.
3. On the Identity pane, click Edit Card.

## Using the Edit Card Dialog

Use the Edit Card dialog to create your own personal address book card. Your personal card contains personal information about yourself . You can attach your personal card to your outgoing messages.

- To enter or update your real name, email address, nickname, and special notes associated with your card or to add or change whether you prefer to receive messages formatted in HTML, use the Name tab on the Edit Card dialog.
- To enter or update your company name, professional title, postal address, and phone and fax numbers in your address, click the Contact tab on the Edit Card dialog.
- To specify the name of your Conference Host server, use the Netscape Conference tab on the Edit Card dialog.

## Using the Edit Card Name Panel

Use the Name panel on the Edit Card dialog to:

- Provide your real first and last name.
- Enter or update your email address.
- If you like, enter a nickname for yourself using any name you choose that someone could use to reply to you instead of your email address.
- Record special notes by typing them into the Notes area. Notes are for your convenience and have no direct function.
- Choose HTML if you prefer to receive messages in HTML format. If you do not choose HTML, you receive messages as plain-text, even if the messages were composed with HTML.

## Using the Edit Card Contact Panel

Use the Contact tab on the Edit Card dialog to enter or update personal contact information that you want to appear on your personal card. All fields are optional, so you can provide as much or as little information as you like. Contact information contained in address book cards is searchable by those using directory services.

## Using the Edit Card Conferences Panel

Use the Conferences panel on the Edit Card dialog to enter or update the information on your signature card that specifies your Conference address and whether you use a 411 Server or a Conference host.

Enter your Conference Address by choosing one of the following selections from the pick list:

- Choose a listed server such as Netscape Conference Host DLS Server.
- Choose Specific DLS Server, if you use a DLS server not listed. Then use the lower text box to enter the server name and domain name.
- Choose Hostname or IP address if you use a Conference host other than a DLS server. Then use the lower text box to enter either of the following:
  - server name and domain name
    or
  - a numerical IP address

## Setting Mail & Groups Preferences for Composing Messages

To set Mail & Groups Preferences that control how the Composition Message window works, use the Messages panel of the Mail & Groups Preferences Dialog.

To bring up the Mail & Groups Preferences dialog box:

- Open the Preferences dialog. From the Edit menu of any Communicator window, select Preferences.
- Under the canonical list to the left, under Mail & Groups, click Messages.

## Using the Messages Panel

Use the Messages panel to set properties associated with your outgoing messages:

- To send copies of your outgoing messages to yourself, check one or both of the Self boxes next to Mail messages or Groups messages.
- To automatically send copies of your outgoing mail to another email address, provide the address by using the Other address text-entry areas.
- To automatically copy outgoing messages to a folder:

1. Choose the type of outgoing messages you want to copy to yourself : checking either or both Mail messages or Groups messages and optionally specifying an email address to someone else.
2. From the folder drop down list box, choose the folder in which you want copies saved. Please note that this folder grows over time.

Click the More Options button to set the following preferences:

- Whether you want to show a full or abbreviated email name when addressing a message.
- When sending messages that use 8-bit characters, choose either:

- As is if you want to use 8-bit characters in message headers. You can use 8-bit for most personal information, such as your real name and your message subject. 8-bit characters are not encoded for sending and may cause problems on systems not configured to handle 8-bit.
- Quoted printable MIME compliant if you use ASCII or extended ASCII. Extended ASCII characters are encoded and decoded upon sending and receiving.

You cannot use 8-bit or extended ASCII characters in email addresses, nicknames, or in your phone number.
- The action taken when you send HTML messages to recipients not listed as able to receive HTML formatted messages.

To dismiss the preferences dialog:

- Click OK to save all the changes you've made to all preferences since bringing up the preferences dialog.
- Click Cancel to abandon all changes you've made to all preferences since bringing up the preferences dialog.

## Setting Mail Server Preferences

To ensure Netscape Communicator is set up so you can send and receive messages, follow these steps:

1. Open the Preferences dialog. From the Edit menu of any Communicator window, choose Preferences.
2. Click Mail Servers.

Use the Mail Servers preferences dialog to verify and identify your mail servers.

## Using the Mail Server Panel

Ensure all sections of the Mail Server panel are complete. Netscape Messenger requires correct server settings in order to download and send your messages.

To complete the Mail Servers Preferences dialog, follow these steps:

1. Mail server user name:
   Enter the user name. Your user name is your login name identified to you by your system administrator or Internet Service Provider. Do not enter your entire email address. Enter only your user name.
2. Outgoing mail (SMTP) server:
   Enter the name of your SMTP server, or ensure your SMTP server is correctly identified. Your SMTP server delivers your outgoing mail.
3. Incoming mail server:
   Enter the name of your SMTP server (typically this is the same name as your Outgoing mail server) or ensure your SMTP server is correctly identified. Your SMTP server delivers your incoming mail.
4. Mail Server Type (PC and MacOS): Ensure your POP3 or IMAP server is correctly identified. POP3 and IMAP servers handle delivery of your incoming mail.
   Choose either:
   - POP3
     Then check Leave messages on server after retrieval if you want to save your mail messages on the mail server as well as on your own computer. Otherwise, clear this checkbox if you want to store your messages only on your own computer.
     Or
   - IMAP and then:
     - Check Keep copies of messages for offline reading if you want to save copies of your mail messages on your own computer as well as on the mail server . Otherwise, clear this checkbox if you want to store your messages only on the mail server.
     - Check Server supports encrypted connections (SSL) if your IMAP server is configured to send and receive encrypted mail. If you are unsure if your server supports encryption, contact the mail server administrator at your site.

#### More Mail Server Preferences dialog
(PC and MacOS)

You can also specify the following preferences for your mail server:

- Enter a directory or folder location on your local machine where you want to keep copies of your mail and group messages. Click Choose if you want to browse for a location.
- If you selected IMAP as your mail server type, enter the directory or folder location where you want to keep copies of your mail and group messages. (If you selected POP3 as your mail server type, this option is disabled.)
- To automatically check for new mail, click Check for new mail and enter the number of minutes of how often you want this to happen. If you clear this box, new mail will not appear until you explicitly ask to get new messages.
- Choose if you want the system to remember your password so that you do not have to re- enter it each time you start Messenger.
- Specify if your mail server supports encrypted passwords.
- Choose if you want to use Netscape Messenger services for messages you receive from applications that support Mail Application Program Interface (MAPI).

#### Details

Your user name is only one word and should not include the site and domain portions.

Ensure you have the correct host name supplied for SMTP host. This is the name of the host that is responsible for handling the sending of your outgoing mail and Collabra messages. Most electronic messaging systems use the same host for sending messages as they do for receiving messages.

Ensure you have the correct host name supplied for Mail Host. This is the name of the host that is responsible for handling the downloading of your mail messages. Most mail hosts require a user name and password.

## Setting Groups Server Preferences

To ensure Netscape Communicator is set up so you can download Collabra messages, follow these steps:

1. From any Communicator window, select Preferences from the Edit menu.
2. Click Mail & Groups.
3. Click Groups Server.

## Using the Groups Server Preferences Panel

To use the Groups Server Preferences panel to provide information necessary to list, subscribe to, and update discussion groups:

1. Enter the name of your discussion groups server. The names of discussion groups servers vary from site to site, so check with your system administrator, help desk, or Internet Service Provider (ISP) for the name you must provide.
2. Enter a port number where your discussion groups server listens for requests. The standard default port number is 119, but this may also vary among sites and services.
   Click Secure to send and receive messages using encryption and certificates (the default port number will change to a secure number established by your host server).
3. If you are using Windows or Unix versions of Netscape Communicator, enter the path to a directory on your PC or workstation where your groups server can download Collabra messages.
4. Ensure you have the correct host name supplied for groups (NNTP) server. Your NNTP server is the computer that handles your discussion-groups feed. If you do not know the name of your groups server, contact your system administrator or your Internet Service Provider, and ask for the name. Example: news
5. If you are using Netscape Communicator on Windows or your Unix workstation, provide the path name of a local directory where your groups server can download discussion-group updates.
   PC Example: C:\Program Files\Netscape\Communicator\Collabra
   Unix Example: /usr/people/mozilla/.news
   If you are using Netscape Communicator on MacOS, you do not need to provide the name of a news directory.
6. Specify if you want to limit the amount of messages copied to your local machine when you open a discussion group.
7. To change other preferences, click a category on the left. Click OK to close Preferences.

## Setting Directory Service Preferences

To add and configure use of directory servers, which enables you to look up email addresses and address book cards, use the Mail & Groups Preferences' Directory Panel. To open the Directory Panel, from the Edit menu of any Communicator window, choose Preferences, then Mail & Groups, then Directory.

## Using the Mail & Groups Directory Preferences Panel

Use the Mail & Groups Preferences Directory panel to:

- Customize the order in which you search directory look-up services
- Specify how you want names displayed when displaying the results of a directory search
- Add or update the directory services in your list of directories, which you access when looking up addresses

## Using the Add Directory Server Dialog

Use the Add Directory Server Dialog to add a directory server to your list of servers. You can then choose the server when search address directories.

- Description is the directory service's name, which appears in the list of directory servers.
- LDAP Server is the Internet address of the server, such as ldap.netscape.com (which is not a real server, by the way).
- Search Root enables you to restrict searching to a specific area. For example, c=JP restricts the search to Japan only.
- Port Number is the port at which the LDAP server is listening. The default is 389.

## Using the Directory Server Property Dialog

Use the Directory Server Property dialog to provide contact information for a directory server you want to use.

- Description is the directory service's name, which appears in the list of directory servers.
- LDAP Server is the Internet address of the server, such as ldap.netscape.com (which is not a real server, by the way).
- Search Root enables you to restrict searching to a specific area. For example, c=JP restricts the search to Japan only.
- Port Number is the port at which the LDAP server is listening. The default is 389.