Filtering your Messages

Filtering applies a set of matching rules to incoming mail and then executes a specified action. You can filter your incoming mail messages to sort them into folders. For example, you could create a rule as follows:

All mail from your professor of econimics goes in the "Economics" folder.

To create or edit a new filtering rule:

1. Click on Options .
2. Open the Mail Filter tab and click New Filter.
3. The Add Filter dialog displays.
4. In Filter Name, type the name for the rule.
5. In the "If the following conditions are met" area, choose a grouping preference.
   • Any conditions means that if any of the conditions in the filter are met, apply the action.
   • All conditions means that all of the conditions in the filter must be met in order to apply the filter action.
   The following steps can be repeated to set up multiple conditions and actions within a single filter.
   • Select from the first drop-down list which condition to use.
   • Choose a comparison method. The options shown depend on your choice in the previous drop-down. For example, "is" or "is not" could be shown.
   • Enter a word or phrase to compare against in the text field.
   • Click the plus sign , to add more conditions. You can continue to add more conditions or proceed to the next part, which is to add one or more actions.
6. In the Perform the following actions area, choose an action from the drop-down list.
• Specify a folder or tag name, if necessary. What you specify depends on the action you choose.
7. Click the plus sign , to add more actions. You can continue to add more actions or click OK to finish.
8. Check the Active box to turn on the Filter rule.

The filter will be applied automatically to all new incoming mail messages as they arrive.