Address Database Help

The Address Database is provided to help you automatically track names and email addresses and to perform lookups of partial names and addresses.

Storing data in the Address Database

For the most part you can allow the Address Database to be self-maintaining.

Set "Enable Address Saving" to "on" in the Address Database Preference panel. As you view mail messages the "From" address will be automatically extracted and a corresponding Address Database entry either created or updated.

Address Expansion: using data from the Address Database

Note: Address expansion is only supported in the exmh Simple Editor (Sedit).

The Address Database can be used to help you address email by using the Sedit "<addrexpand>" key. That key defaults to Control-Tab but may be changed using the Binding.../Simple Edit menu item of the main exmh window.

Address expansion by Address Database lookup is performed by typing a partial name or address in your message (on the "To:", "cc:", "bcc:", or "dcc:" line) and pressing the "<addrexpand>" key. You can expand multiple names, one at a time, by typing a comma followed by another partial name or address and pressing the "<addrexpand>" key again.

The Address Database Browser

You can browse and edit your Address Database using the somewhat misnamed Address DB Browser. This is accessed from the Address.../Address Book menu item of the main exmh window.

Fine tuning your Address Database

Idiosyncrasies and limitations of the Address Database

Origins of the Address Database

The exmh Address Database code was originally written by Berry Kercheval and was inspired by BBDB, the Insidious Big Brother Database, an Emacs add-in.

Addresses and Aliases

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