FirstClass Electronic Mail

Full e-mail functions built into FirstClass allow you to:

   •  Read your mail   
   •  Compose and send mail
   •  Address mail to users by name using a user directory
   •  Reply to or forward a message
   •  Attach files to messages and send them to others
   •  Organize your sent and received messages into folders
   •  Track which messages have been read
   •  Use font, size and type styles in your messages
   •  Search by message subject, content and to/from names
   •  Change the priority, and request a receipt
   •  Retract a sent message

Reading Your Mail

When you first log in to FirstClass you will see an icon labelled “MailBox”.  This contains all your incoming mail and is where copies of your outgoing mail is placed.  You may open it by double-clicking on the icon with your mouse.  When you open your mailbox you are given a summary of your mail and any folders which you have created.  The summary shows the sender of incoming messages, the subject of the message, the time it arrived and a red flag if the message has not been read.  The summary of outgoing messages shows the recipient of the message, the subject of the message, the time it was last updated and a white flag if the message has not yet been sent.

To read a message, double-click on it.  A new window will be opened which has two panels; the upper panel shows the envelope information (To:, From:, Subject etc.) while the lower panel contains the message contents.  You can scroll through either of these panels independently.

Creating a New Message

To compose a new message, choose “New” from the File menu.  An empty message is created and displayed in a new window.  The window has two panels; the upper panel shows the envelope information (To:, From:, Subject etc.) while the lower panel contains the message contents.  You can scroll either of these panels independently. 

Addressing the Message

The envelope panel contains a field where you may fill in a message subject, and “To:” and “Copies:” fields where you can enter a list of recipients.  To address the message, move the cursor using the mouse to the To: line and type in the last name of your intended recipient.  If you are unsure of the name, just type in the first few characters—the system will search for the name in its user directory and fill in the full name for you.  If multiple names are found, for example if you entered “smith”, then a window is opened showing the matches and you can select from the list using your mouse. 

Completing and Sending

To enter the contents of the message, use the mouse to move the cursor into the lower pane, click in the panel and type in the text of the message.  When you are finished, choose “Send” from the Message menu and your message will be delivered.  Note that the “Unsent” flag is removed from the summary line after you send the message.

Tracking Your Message Using The History Feature

You can use the FirstClass message History feature to find out who has read your message, when they read it and whether they downloaded any files attached to the message.

Select or open your message, pull down the Message menu at the top of your screen and choose History.  A window will appear showing those people who have read the message and even if they've replied to it.  The History windows will also show you where the message came from if it did not originate on your system.