POPmail is an easy-to-use electronic mail application for the Macintosh.
This document covers
1) how to set up POPmail for the first time,
2) how to set up POPmail to run on one Mac that is being used by
several people,
3) how to connect to sites on the Internet and
4) file management in POPmail.
Other files also give information about POPmail: BASIC STUFF and ADVANCED STUFF.
To learn the basics about POPmail -- how to send, receive, read, and archive E-mail messages -- refer to BASIC STUFF.
To learn about more advanced POPmail features -- enclosing and appending other files, how to use the find and spelling utilities, and previewing messages -- refer to ADVANCED STUFF.
This TeachText documentation incorporates graphics of different windows and menus in POPMAIL II. If you print it out, you may get weird page breaks.
E-mail your comments, suggestions, or bug reports to
You need at least the following amount of RAM installed in your Macintosh, depending on the version of the Macintosh System that is running.
SYSTEM VERSION MINIMUM RAM
7.0 2 MB
6.0.7 1 MB
Keep in mind that you may need more memory than listed above if you have INITS, control panel devices, or RAM cache set up for your Macintosh. You may be able to run POPmail with earlier versions of System 6, but some features may not work as documented.
In addition, you must have the following:
1. A connection to a network, either direct or via SLIP.
2. A mail account on a mail server. The mail server needs to be running the SMTP process and either the POP2, POP3, or IMAP2 message retrieval process. (Usually, POP2 runs on Port 109, POP3 on Port 110, and IMAP2 on Port 143.)
3. A Mac TCP driver properly installed and configured for your Macintosh and type of network connection.
If you do not have all three things listed above, you should consult your network administrator.
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ON-LINE HELP WITH SYSTEM 7
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If you are using System 7 on your Macintosh, you can use Balloon Help to find out about POPmail's features.
When you open POPmail for the first time, you must use commands from the Setup menu (shown below) to get started.
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To set up POPmail, follow these steps.
1. From the Setup menu, choose Set Username and Server. Then, enter your E-mail address and name in the POPmail Configuration dialog box (shown below).
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In the first box, type your full name. This will be used in the header of all the messages you send.
In the second box, type the user name of your E-mail account. Your user name is the information that comes before the @ in your E-mail address. In the example of a POPmail configuration shown above, the person's complete E-mail address is "max@topsecret.control.gov," so his mail username is "max."
In the third box, type the password for your E-mail account. If you click in the Save Password box, POPmail remembers the password. This means you won't have to type your password every time you use POPmail. NOTE: This feature is *not* used to change the password.
Filling in the fourth box, is optional. It is used if you have another E-mail account on a different server that you would prefer people use when replying to you mail (see "Basic Stuff" for an explanation of the "reply" feature in POPmail). As a second option, if your mail system supports aliases, you can put your alias in this box. Following the University of Minnesota's format, Max╒s alias would probably be "maxwell.w.smart-1@control.gov."
In the fifth box, type the name of your mail server. The mail server name is the information that is after the @ in your E-mail address. Referring to the example above, the complete E-mail address is max@topsecret.control.gov, so the mail server is "topsecret.control.gov."
In the last section, Mail server's POP protocol, you need to indicate what POP protocol your mail server is running. If your server is "maroon.tc.umn.edu," "gold.tc.umn.edu," or "mailbox.mail.umn.edu" at the University of Minnesota, you should use POP3. If you're not sure which one to choose, you should contact the person or organization who runs the mail server you are using.
2. To set up folders, click once on the Fetch button. Then, from the File menu, choose Open Sender.
POPmail uses folders to organize all the messages you receive, send, or archive and to store any files that may be enclosed with a message. POPmail creates these folders automatically in the same place where the application is residing.
The first time you fetch a message, POPmail creates two folders named Incoming and Enclosure; the first time you open a Sender window, it creates an Outgoing folder; the first time you archive a message, it creates an Archived Messages folder.
If you want to change the folders where mail is dropped, picked up, or archived, use the Setup menu to create or select different folders.
That's all you need to do to get POPmail running.
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SELECTING OPTIONS
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Choosing Options from the Setup menu adds any of the following features to POPmail. (Options command from the Setup menu is shown below.)
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Reply to ALL recipients
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When checked, POPmail sends a reply to everyone who received a message, including the individuals who were sent "carbon copies." If this is not checked, your reply is sent just to the sender of the message.
Save a copy when I post a message
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When checked, a copy of every message that you send is saved. The messages are saved in the Incoming Messages folder, and you can read them by using the Message Browser window.
Skinny window sizer
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When checked, the FROM/SUBJECT/DATE and MESSAGE headings are removed from the Message Browser and Archive Browser windows.
Notify me when new mail arrives
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When this option is checked, *and* POPmail is running in the background, you are notified whenever a mail message is received by your mail server. When a message is received, POPmail beeps and the icon in the upper-right corner of the screen flashes with POPmail╒s dog icon. The icon will continue flashing until you fetch the mail from your mail server.
If you have mail notification turned on but have not entered your password, POPmail may display a dialog box for you to enter your password when it goes to check for mail.
IMPORTANT: If you are using System 6.0, you must be using MultiFinder for this feature to work.
If you want to be notified whenever a mail message is received by your mail server and don╒t have enough RAM to keep POPmail running in the background, you might want to look into setting up an application called MailCall on your mail server. This software can be obtained from Distributed Computing Services's Mac Information File Server: Communications: Network Software: POPmail II. .
Check spelling whenever I post a message
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This option will work only if you have a program called HyperSpeller installed (see SETTING UP THE SPELLING CHECKER in ADVANCED STUFF). Otherwise, this option will be grayed out in the dialog box. When this option is checked and you click once on the Post button or choose Post from the Mail menu, the current message in the Message Sender window is automatically checked for spelling errors.
Append signature whenever I post a message
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When checked, this option adds the information you typed in for your Signature to every message that you send (see SETTING UP YOUR SIGNATURE below). Note: the default setting for POPmail is to append the signature when sending a message.
Holding down the Shift key while clicking on the Post button will override this option.
For example, if this option is checked and you hold down the Shift key while clicking on the Post button, your signature will not be added to the end of your message.
If this option is not checked and you hold down the Shift key while clicking on the Post button, information typed in for your signature will be added to the end of your message.
Server does not add date to message header
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This option is specifically added for mail servers that do not add the date to messages.
In most cases, the mail server automatically adds the time and date to mail messages. The administrator of the machine changes the date so that all clients of the server are synchronized.
If your mail server does not do this, check this box. And be sure to adjust the time for "daylight savings."
Hide partially composed messages at startup
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This option is added for people who tend to keep many unposted message senders around, but dislike seeing them displayed every time POPmail is started.
If this box is unchecked all unsent messages will be displayed on top ot the Message Browser when POPmail starts.
Save documents for:
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You use this option to designate a word processor so that saved messages can be opened by a particular application.
Click once on the Set button. A typical open dialog box will appear. Navigate to the place where you have a word processor application, select it, and click once on the Open button. The name of the application will then appear in the text of this option.
The graphic below shows Microsoft Word 5.1 being selected as the word processor of choice.
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SETTING UP GROUPS
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If you have correspondents to whom you routinely send E-mail, you may wish to set up groups by choosing Edit Groups from the Setup menu. This feature allows you to create a list of correspondents. When you are in the Message Sender window, you can select the recipient(s) of the message. Typically, groups are composed of several correspondents or a single person who might have a complex E-mail address.
Clicking on the Make button, which is found in the Message Sender window, also allows you to create groups.
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After the group definition screen appears (shown above), follow these steps:
1. Type a group name, followed by a space.
2. Type the E-mail addresses of the group members, separating each E-mail address by one space.
3. Press the Return key twice to begin a definition for another group.
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USING THE GROUPS FEATURE
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To use a group when you are sending a message, follow these steps:
1. In the Message Sender window, click on the downward-facing triangle next to "To."
A pop-up menu displaying an alphabetized list of the groups you have defined will appear (alphabetized by uppercase then lowercase initial characters).
2. Select a group by dragging the mouse until the group name you want is highlighted.
3. Release the mouse button.
The E╨mail addresses of the group you selected will automatically appear in the Recipient box.
You can also use this feature when sending carbon and blind copies of the message (see Message Sender information in the BASIC STUFF document).
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SETTING UP YOUR SIGNATURE
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Signatures are typically used to present information about the sender of the message and may include name, address, phone number, and standard disclaimers.
To set up the signature you want to append, choose the Edit Signature command from the Setup menu.
Type the information into the dialog box that appears (shown below) and click on the OK button.
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To have your signature automatically added to the end of each mail message that you send, be sure to check the "Append signature whenever I post a message" Option feature (see SELECTING OPTIONS above).
Sometimes one computer needs to be shared by several people. You need to set up POPmail differently in this type of situation.
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION
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When you set up POPmail under System 7, a file called POPmail Settings is automatically saved in the Preferences folder, inside the System folder. This file contains information that you entered for your username, password, and mail server; the location of the folders for Incoming Messages, Enclosures, Outgoing Messages, and Archived Messages; any options you selected, your signature file, and your groups. If you're using System 6, the POPmail Settings file is found in the System folder.
When you double-click on the POPmail application icon, it first hunts for this settings file in the same folder that the application is in. If the settings file isn╒t there, it looks in the Preferences folder in the System folder. And if it doesn╒t find it there, POPmail creates a new settings file.
You can also start up POPmail by double-clicking on the POPmail Settings file. By doing this, the POPmail application is started and the data in the clicked settings file is used for that particular session of POPmail.
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MULTIPLE USERS ON ONE MACHINE
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The goal for setting up multiple users on one computer is to make sure that every person has his or her unique settings file. Then when David wants to read his mail, he just double-clicks on a POPmail Settings file named "David╒s mail." When Mary wants to fetch her mail, she needs to double-click on a POPmail Settings file named "Mary╒s mail," and so on. With multiple settings files, you need only one copy of the POPmail program on the disk.
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CREATING MULTIPLE POPMAIL SETTINGS FILES
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We recommend creating a folder where individual╒s POPmail Settings file, Incoming Messages folder, Enclosures folder, Outgoing Messages folder, and Archived Messages folder are stored. That way, all the files pertaining to one person are located in one folder. For security reasons, we also recommend the Save Password option should not be checked. Otherwise, people who have access to the computer can send or fetch messages from another's E-mail account.
Note that once E-mail messages are fetched, POPmail has no feature that prevents another person who has access to the same computer from reading your messages. To ensure security when more than one person uses a computer, you need to seek a third-party software solution.
Follow these steps:
1. Trash any existing POPmail Settings file.
In System 7, this file will be located in the System folder/Preferences folder. In System 6, this file will be located in the System folder.
2. Create a folder that will be used for the person's mail.
3. Drag the POPmail application to that folder and double-click on the icon.
4. Set up POPmail for that person.
From the Setup menu, choose Set Username & Server. Type in the person's name, mail username, and mail server name. Send a test message to the person (creates and sets the Outgoing Messages folder), Fetch messages from the account (creates and sets the Incoming Messages and Enclosures folders). Click on the Open Archive button (creates and sets the Archived Messages folder) .
5. Quit POPmail.
6. Drag the POPmail Settings file into the folder for the person's mail.
In System 7, this file will be located in the System folder/Preferences folder. In System 6, this file will be located in the System folder.
7. Rename the POPmail Settings file (optional).
Repeat from step 2 (dragging the POPmail settings file out of the Preferences folder in step 6, is essentially the same as step 1) until everyone has his or her own POPmail settings file in a folder along with the folders needed to organize E-mail messages.
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READING E-MAIL
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When Mary wants to read her E-mail, she just needs to double-click on the POPmail Settings file in her designated folder rather than the POPmail application. Any changes she makes in POPmail options will be saved to her settings file.
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ACCOUNTS ON OTHER MAIL SERVERS
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If you have E-mail accounts on different mail servers, you can use the same setup. Set up POPmail for one mail server, quit, then drag the settings file out of the Preferences folder. Rename the POPmail Settings file to correspond to the mail server. Repeat the process for all your E-mail accounts.
If an E-mail message contains a URL (Universal Resource Locator), you can use POPmail to retrieve or connect to the item mentioned in the message.
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REQUIREMENTS
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POPmail actually communicates with other applications to provide connections to various resources on the Internet. In order to connect to these resources, three requirements must be satisfied:
1. You must be using System 7.0. If you are using an earlier version of the system, Resolve URLs will not work.
2. The name of the URL in the message must be in the correct format and syntax.
3. A "Helper" application that accesses the resource and can communicate with POPmail must be installed on your Macintosh.
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HELPER APPLICATIONS
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POPmail uses helper applications to resolve URLs rather than becoming big and bloated with extra code (such as it would need to resolve them itself).
URL APPLICATION SYNTAX
gopher TurboGopher 2.0x gopher://server
http MacWeb http://server
ftp Anarchie ftp://server
phone Ph 1.2 ph://CSOserver
You can obtain all these applications via anonymous ftp from boombox.micro.umn.edu (look in pub/ gopher/ Macintosh-Turbogopher/ helper-applications).
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USING THE FEATURE
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To use this feature, you must first have a message that contains a valid URL, which can be in two formats:
Note that in the first example, the format includes brackets that surround the URL and the second example does not include brackets.
Follow these steps to use this feature:
1. Highlight the URL in the message
2. From the Mail menu, select Resolve URL.
3. If the URL is in a valid format, POPmail will launch the appropriate application and that application will try to connect to the internet location specified in the E-mail message.
This section is for those of you who would like to know how POPmail handles its files.
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MESSAGES
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When messages are retrieved from your mail server, POPmail names the file by converting the date and time that the message is received into a hexadecimal string and adding "i" to the beginning of the name. A message's file type is "iMsg" and creator is "DDHF". The Message Browser looks in the folder set up as the Incoming Messages folder for all files that are type "iMsg" and indexes the files in an approximate chronological order. You can rename the file, but its order in the Message Browser might be changed. You use the Set Incoming Mail Folder command in the Setup menu to designate what folder is being used as the Incoming Messages folder.
When messages are archived, POPmail changes the file type to "aMsg", replaces the "i" with an "a", and moves the file to the designated Archived Messages folder. The Archive Browser looks in the folder set up as the Archived Messages folder for all files that are "aMsg" and indexes the files according to an approximate chronological order. You can use the Set Archive Mail Folder command from the Setup menu or the Archive To command in the Mail menu to designate what folder is being used by POPmail as the Archived Messages folder.
If your mail server is down and you send a message, POPmail will store the unsent message in the Outgoing Messages folder until it is able to send it later. This file has an "o" as the first character in its name and is of the file type "oMsg."
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INDEXES
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After a while, you may accumulate hundreds of message files in your Incoming Messages and Archived Messages folders. So that POPmail doesn't have to read and sort these files every time a Browser is opened, it creates an index file.
A Message Index file consists of a listing of the files in your Incoming Messages folder and is stored there; an Archive Index file is created in any folder used to archive messages. Whenever you close either a Message or Archive Browser, POPmail adds any new messages to the Index file. If you drag an index file to the trash, POPmail will have to create a new index, a process that may take a while, especially if the number of messages is over 100.
POPmail does a verification of the index every time it reads it into memory.
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MESSAGE SENDER FILES
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When using POPmail, you can create more than one Message Sender window at a time. If you quit POPmail without sending all your messages or close a Message Sender window that has an unsent message in it, the message is saved as a file in the Outgoing Messages folder. When you open POPmail again, any unsent Message Sender windows will appear in front of the Browser window.
If you want to change your mind and not send a message, make the Sender Window active, choose the Discard command from the Mail menu (Command-D), click on the Discard button, and close the Message Sender window.
The Outgoing Messages folder will also contain any message that has been posted but, because of network problems, wasn't sent to the mail server (see information about MESSAGES, above).
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DELETING FILES
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When you delete a message in a browser window, the message immediately disappears and cannot be retreived.
