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A GUIDE TO EUDORA

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Creating and Using Nicknames

To create, edit, or remove a nickname, select Nicknames... from the Special menu. The Nicknames window is then displayed. This window is divided into three main fields. The Nickname: field lists all your nicknames; the Address(es): field displays a selected nicknameās expansion (the addresses that the nickname represents); and the Notes: field contains your private notes on a nickname.

Adding New Nicknames

Type the name of the new nickname. If you want this nickname to show up on the Quick Recipient list under the Message menu (see the "Using the Quick Recipient List" section), click on the Put it on the recipient list option. Then, click OK.

The new nickname is displayed in the Nicknames: field of the Nicknames window, and the insertion point is placed in the Address(es): field. Type the complete E-mail address of the person to be represented by the nickname.

If youād like to add someoneās proper name to the address that you specify, just put it in parentheses after the E-mail address.

Note: Be aware that the proper name is put in the To: field of mail messages along with the full address.

You may also type a series of many E-mail addresses (and even other nicknames), separated by commas or returns, in the Address(es) section. These multiple addresses are represented by the single entered nickname. In this way, a nickname can be used for a group mailing list.

Note: The Nicknames window is the only place where it is permissible to use a [return] to separate addresses. Everywhere else, you must use commas.

The Notes: field can be used to enter any text youād like to associate with a nickname, such as the addresseeās company, title, or phone number.

Note: The contents of the Notes field is not put in mail you send.

One nickname can point to another nickname, which can point to still another, and so on; eventually, however, the nickname must end in a real address or group of addresses. For example, Eudora contains Mark in its expansion, and Mark is itself a nickname for cmtmsb@soc.staffs.ac.uk.

Once youāve finished typing addresses and notes, you can click the New button again to make another nickname.

When finished making additions or changes, select Save from the File menu to save the changes. If you close the Nicknames window without saving the changes, a dialog is displayed asking whether the additions/changes you just made should be saved or discarded.

Changing and Removing Nicknames

To change a nicknameās corresponding E-mail address(es) and notes, click once on the desired nickname to select it. The addresses and notes associated with the nickname are displayed in the Address(es): and Notes: fields, and may be directly edited.

To remove the nickname, click once on the desired nickname to select it. Click the Remove button.

When finished editing or making deletions, select Save from the File menu to save the changes. If you close the Nicknames window without saving the changes, a dialog is displayed asking whether the additions/changes/deletions you just made should be saved or discarded.

Make Nickname... Command

From the Nicknames window itself, use command-click to select several different nicknames, and then choose Make Nickname... from the Special menu. The new nickname dialog is displayed prompting you for the name of the new nickname. Once you have entered the name, click OK to create the new nickname with the selected nicknames in the Nicknames window as its addressees. This is an easy way to make a group nickname out of existing nicknames.

Alternately, you can make a nickname out of the address list of a current message. Open a mailbox and single-click on the desired message to make it current. Select Make Nickname... from the Special menu. The new nickname dialog is displayed prompting you for the name of the new nickname. Once you have entered the name, click OK. If the current message is an outgoing message, its To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields are used for the nicknameās addressees. If the current message is an incoming message, its From: field is used for the nicknameās addressees. If multiple messages are current (i.e., you have several message summaries selected in a mailbox window), addresses are taken from each message and all are put in the new nicknameās expansion.

Note: When an incoming message is current, Make Nickname... pretends to do a Reply to the current message, and then takes all the recipients from the reply message and uses them in the nickname expansion. This means that Make Nickname... acts just like Reply in regard to the Include Self and Reply All options in the Switches... dialog. That is, if the Reply All option in the Switches... dialog is turned on (or you hold down the option key), the nickname is made for all of the recipients of the messages plus the sender, not just the sender. Similarly, if the Include Self option in the Switches... dialog is turned off, your address is not included in the new nicknameās expansion.

Using the Nicknames Window to Address Mail

A new composition window is displayed with the selected nickname(s) inserted the To: field.

Once the composition window is displayed, use the To:, Cc: and Bcc: buttons to insert additional nicknames into the corresponding fields.

Note: If you hold down the [option] key when addressing messages using the Nickname window To:, Cc:, and Bcc: buttons, the full nickname expansion is inserted into the appropriate message field rather than just the nickname.

The Nicknames window can also be used to address existing messages, or new messages created by selecting New from the Message menu. Make sure the desired message is current (topmost), then open the Nicknames window and use the To:, Cc: and Bcc: buttons to address the message.

Type-to-Select in the Nicknames window

Nicknames and the Quick Recipient List

However, you may have nicknames to which you often send mail, and it makes sense to add these nicknames to the Quick Recipient list. This is easily done from the Nicknames window.

Examine the Nickname: field in the Nicknames window. Notice that there is a margin between the first letter of each nickname and the edge of the field. Now, select a nickname and place the mouse over the margin between the nickname and the edge of the field. The cursor changes into a miniature image of a menu. Click the mouse once and a bullet (o) is displayed in the margin area. This bullet indicates that the nickname has been added to the Quick Recipient list.

Click again, and the bullet disappears, removing the nickname from the Quick Recipient list. The Quick Recipient list is discussed further in the "Using the Quick Recipient List" section.

Note: Double-clicking a nickname also puts it on or removes it from the Quick Recipient list.

If you rename or remove a nickname that is also on the Quick Recipient list, the name on the Quick Recipient list is also changed or removed.

Finish Nickname Command

To use this option, type only the number of characters in the nickname that make it unique with respect to other nicknames in the appropriate field of the message header. Then, select Finish Nickname from the Edit menu. The partial text of the nickname is automatically completed in the header field.

For example, if you type an "S" in the To: field and you only have one nickname that starts with the letter S, the Finish Nickname function completes the nickname in the message header.

Note: If you hold down the [option] key while finishing a nickname, the nicknameās expansion is inserted instead of the nickname itself.