Flagit!: Customised flags for Mail.app.
Ever felt that the red flag in Mail.app doesn’t offer you enough flexibility?
Flagit! is a plug-in that offers Mail.app users customisable flags of as many different colours as you like, as well as question and exclamation marks.
It is packaged as a plug-in for SIMBL
, an Input Manager that allows application-specific hacks for Cocoa apps (like Mail.app).
It is not heavy on documentation. Pay close attention to the installer screen, because it offers you all the information you will get on how to use its new features:
Once installed, you can access its features through the “Mark” option in the contextual menu. Highlight the email you want to flag, Control-click (or right-click) on the email and choose the flag you want:
The Customize option opens a preference pane with room to edit the default flags and create as many new ones as you need:
It also provides the option to colourise the text of the email that you have flagged. Combined with the option to colourise the backgrounds of emails (which I do through Mail Act-on
If I wasn’t very happy about marking emails done or needing attention or waiting for a response with the keywords feature of MailTags
Flagit! works with Tiger and Leopard and is shareware (USD 8). You can download a 15-day free demo from the developer’s web site
UPDATE: Users report in the comments that Flagit! doesn’t play nicely with the WideMail plugin. The comments also contain some tips on uninstalling Flagit!
Tags: Apple Mail, flags, hacks, mail.app, plugins, Productivity, SIMBL
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Emailchemy developer (and email packrat) tells all.
Matt Hovey, the developer of an amazing email format conversion application called Emailchemy
Hawk Wings has covered Emailchemy before.
It can convert emails and mailboxes from an astonishing number of email clients (AOL for Windows, Claris Emailer, CompuServe Classic for Macintosh, CompuServe 2000 for Windows, Entourage (Database, .rge Archives and cache files), Eudora, Mail.app, Mozilla, Mulberry, Musashi, Neoplanet, Netscape, Opera, Outlook for Windows, Outlook Express for Macintosh, Windows and UNIX/Solaris, PowerTalk/AOCE for Macintosh, QuickMail Pro for Macintosh and Windows, Thunderbird, Yahoo! Mail and any other UNIX-style or mbox-format mailbox—whew!) into “mbox” format, mail spool, or “UNIX-style” mailboxes, folders of individual email files (.txt or .eml files), comma-separated value files (.csv files), IMAPdir (Binc IMAP maildir) or Maildir++ (Courier IMAP maildir) format, or IMAP formats usable by Outlook, Outlook Express, Entourage, Mail.app, and Thunderbird.
Matt recounts how he moved from his beginnings in mail on UNIX (in 1990, when I was still fooling around on a PC with Waffle, Fidonet and UUCP email) through a dizzying sequence of email clients mandated by “corporate policy” at work and the march of software progress at home:
I went from using Eudora at work to using Apple’s PowerTalk, and from that to using WordPerfect Office (aka Groupwise), Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes, and finally Microsoft Outlook. Then, to further complicate matters, I went from using Eudora at home to using Apple’s PowerTalk, Claris Emailer, and Netscape Mail, back to Eudora again, and then finally Apple’s Mail.app that came with Mac OS X.
It’s all very nostalgic! No wonder he ended up with “years of archived email saved in files created by several different applications that no other application could read.”
That’s enough to convert anyone into an ardent disciple of open formats.
If you are in the same bind, Emailchemy
Tags: apple mail. thinderbird, Claris Emailer, convertor, email, Emailchemy, entourage, Eudora, mail.app, mbox, old emails, the good old days, unix
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MailFX: New Mail Notifier for Mail.app.
MailFX is a new notification utility for Mail.app that displays a Quartz Composer animated graphic on the Desktop when new mail arrives.
This is the sort of thing that will please people looking for a notification utility between the complete pop-up MailAppetizer offers and the minimal approach of menubar utilities like MailUnreadStatusBar.
It installs itself as a classic bundle in your Mail Directory, with its own preference Pane in Mail.app’s Preferences:
Here you can select which of the included graphics you want it to display, how long it should display and how transparently. It can also play a sound when the notification is shown (Nostalgic readers should check out the Eudora new mail sound in the dropdown box).
You can also opt to reveal Mail.app when you click on the notification.
The plugin crates a rule that controls which emails will trigger a notification. By default it is set to trigger for all new mail:
Obviously, tweaking the rule can reduce this and make the alerts more useful (for example, set the rule to trigger only on emails from your work account and not emails from your blog, or only from your boss, or whatever).
In addition, it claims to restore the ability to hide Mail.app on start-up, a feature broken in Leopard (and Tiger too, IIRC).
MailFX is freeware and only works with Leopard Mail. It’s available from the developer’s web site
Excursus: An Ethical Blogging Dilemma
Every now and then an app or plugin comes along that sharpens the difference between being a journalist and a blogger. The bouncy, bouncy notification madness of NotifX was just such an app. This one is another.
When you are a journalist, you just write what your editor tells you to, and don’t ask (too many) questions. And then you get a paycheck in the mail.
When you’re a blogger, it’s more complicated (for one thing, there are no paychecks).
On the one hand, you want to be comprehensive. That’s the point of the blog. On the other hand, there’s the question of good taste. The blog is “mine” in a way that the IT articles I once wrote are not. To be honest, this utility offends my aesthetic sensibilities. I would rather cut my heart out with a teaspoon than use it.
To post or not to post?
I resolve this dilemma as follows: Smack myself on the back of the head for being a snob, and post.
Tags: a question of good taste, animation, anti-productivity applications, Apple Mail, mail.app, notification, notifx, plugins, quartz composer
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How to boilerplate frequent email replies.
Is there a fast way in Mail.app for replying to frequent repetitive requests?
Hawk Wings reader Greg Bentz emails to ask:
I need to be able to save and email with information in it to be resent out repeatedly. I am in real estate and get the same questions over and over. I can do it outlook express but cannot figure out to do in Mail.
I know of two sensible ways to get this done fast and efficiently.
1. Use the MailTemplate plug-in
MailTemplate is a plug-in for Mail.app and Entourage that is designed to do this, and it does it well.
You can quickly access it from the Contextual menu in Mail.app.
It comes with a Template editor in which you can write your frequent replies. For example:
The fields enclosed with double carets (^^) are “smart fields”, that is, they pick up the information from the email to which you are replying.
So, when I get an email that needs one of these quick, repetitive replies, I just right-click on it, and select the right template from the Contextual menu:
And as if by magic, MailTemplate creates the reply:
One keystroke and the email is sent. All done. Productivity gurus like Merlin Mann of 43Folders
MailTemplate is shareware (USD 14.95) and a demo is available from the developer’s web site
2. Use a text snippet manager like TextExpander
Snippet managers offer a different way to skin the same cat. There are loads of them around — here’s a list of some
Snippet Managers allow you to store text and images that you often use and to spit them out again with a few keystrokes. For example, if I type “hwnts” (Hawk Wings is Not Tech Support) into an email I am composing, I get the same text as the MailTempate reply.
Well, almost the same text. The downside here is that TextExpander doesn’t have smart fields. I need to reply to the message, type the person’s first name, and then type “hwnts” to get the same result.
But there are two upsides which make up for this. First, text snippets are available system-wide. If I want to use this boilerplate text in TextMate or in a Safari form or in some other app, it’s just the same few keystrokes away. MailTemplate isn’t. This is a bit plus for me.
Secondly, you will soon find that there are more things that frequent email replies that you want to store.
Typing “tss” produces my work signature with all the bells and whistles (and no mistakes) in Mail.app and anywhere else that I need it. All the HTML in this blog post, written in TextMate, was produced by the same time-saving, error-free text snippets.
I prefer Option 2 but either will do the job.
Tags: Apple Mail, getting things done, mail.app, mailtemplate, plugins, Productivity, templates, text snippets, textexpander
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Since the announcement that Quicksilver was going open source (back last November), things have been moving slowly along.
Etienne Samson is now producing new alpha builds which he is posting on the Quicksilver Google Code page
These new builds are modestly described as “only a bug fix version”, a clean-up operation while the creator of Quicksilver, Alcor, is reportedly
Nonetheless, some users (including me) find that the new builds are slightly zippier and have a smaller memory footprint. However, they are not so good for people using Mouse triggers, which are apparently broken.
Although based on some of his changes, these builds are not the same as the tweaking that Ankur is doing
What is Quicksilver?
Quicksilver is act without doing, work without effort, do your work then step back; it is empty yet infinitely capable; the more you use it, the more it produces; the more you talk of it, the less you understand.
More accessible information on this absolutely kick-ass productivity tool can be found in the Quicksilver User Guide
Tags: alpha builds, getting things done, not apple mail, not mail.app, Productivity, quicksilver, Tao Te Ching
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MobileMe is live – more or less..
UPDATE: Apologies. I jumped the gun here. The article should have been headlined “MobileMe shows random signs of life”. It sputtered into life from time to time last night, but only long enough for me to grab some of the screenshots below.
MobileMe is live. Check it out for yourself at me.com
UPDATED UPDATE: Nope, gone again. This is too much for my nerves!
UPDATE: All good again! Go for it.
Well, it was live for a moment, long enough for me to grab the screenshot from my MobileMe Account page above. Now it’s gone, and the URL redirects to Apple’s MobileMe Promo page again.
In order to use it you will need to fire up Software Update first and download the MobileMe update that’s waiting there.
The update changes the icon in System Preferences to the new MobileMe one. And probably does more important things too. For example, it requires you to quit Mail.app before continuing, so it’s making some changes there as well.
More details if and when it revives itself again.
Hopefully, it was launched a little early, and is not quite ready. It didn’t look like the MobileMe Calendar knew about my CalDAV calendars.
UPDATE: Still doesn’t know about my CalDAV calendars.
And there’s bad news in the MobileMe Address Book Preferences for people who don’t live in the USA, France, Germany or Japan:
In answer to Harry’s question in the comments, it looks like the personal domain option in the Account Preferences only relates to web hosting, not to email:
But I can’t test that.
Tags: Address Book, Apple, Apple Mail, dotmac, frustrating!, iCal, mac, mail.app, mobileme
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TextExpander: 20% Discount for Hawk Wings readers.
The good people at Smile on my mac, who make TextExpander, have made a kind offer.
The company are providing a special discount of 20% for Hawk Wings readers, which brings the price of the app down from its usual price tag of USD 29.95 to USD 23.96.
Further, they are willing to extend the discount to the TextExpander Family Pack, for up to five users in one household, bringing the price of that bundle down to USD 35.96 (usually USD 44.95)
To get the special, just click on this link: http://www.smileonmymac.com/hawkwings/
The offer expires at the end of the month, 31 July 2008.
What do you get for your money?
Above all, you get your life back, as the snippet manager and typing expander saves me (and my fingers) ten or fifteen minutes a day. Getting that back for a one-off charge of USD 23.96 is a bargain indeed.
See these Hawk Wings posts for more TextExpander goodness:
1. How to boilerplate frequent email replies
Tags: Apple, Apple Mail, HTML, mail.app, Productivity, snippet manager, textexpander, time saving, typing
2. HTML snippet file for TextExpander
3. Clever TextExpander clipboard snippet trick
4. TextExpander auto-corrections list
5. TextExpander: Update, Tips and Tricks
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Apple’s fistful of new MobileMe technotes.
Given the recent rather rocky launch of MobileMe, it is no surprise that this week’s list of new and updated technotes from Apple contains a large number of support documents relating to MobileMe.
It is one thing to read the range of complaints in the MobileMe Apple Discussion Group
Apple’s new Support offerings for MobileMe are listed at the end of this post.
All MobileMe services get a look in, but there is a concentration on Sync issues and how to deal with them.
Some of the items are more useful than others. For example, I didn’t know what the maximum size of a MobileMe email message was until I read
On the other hand, the technote
It tells you that
To minimize the impact of spam on MobileMe members, MobileMe employs several methods of detecting spam before it ever reaches your inbox. Spam prevention requires filtering mechanisms that include dynamic lists, trend analysis and content filtering.
However, it continues, “Filtering spam at the server is only part of the equation. You may find it helpful to use your mail application filtering to complement the server filtering.”
The only way to deal with false-positives is to contact MobileMe support:
If you feel that a friendly message was inadvertently deleted, you may want to ask your friend for a follow up email before you contact support, if you notice that multiple messages are being delayed, bounced, or not delivered, you should contact MobileMe Support
Another cracker comes in the technote
Symptoms
If you create a Note with Mail in Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard, then view the note with MobileMe Mail, the text of the note will appear but the background color of the note will not be yellow.Additionally, the notes cannot be edited in MobileMe Mail, and may appear to be from an “unspecified-domain” with no “To” address.
Products Affected
Mac OS X 10.5, MobileMe, MobileMe MailResolution
This is expected behavior. For the best experience with Notes, use Mac OS X Mail only.This document will be updated as more information becomes available.
Here is the full list of new notes relating to MobileMe:
New and Updated Knowledge Base Documents
Canceling your MobileMe account
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2174How MobileMe filters spam messages
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1073iDisk Syncing: Changes made directly to the iDisk may not immediately sync down to local iDisk
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1159iDisk Syncing: iDisk may not sync if connected via a mobile high-speed connection
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1758iDisk: iDisk Syncing takes up more hard drive space than expected in Mac OS X 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1771iMovie and MobileMe Gallery: Some movie names may not work in MobileMe Gallery
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1038iWeb: "This entry no longer exists" error when trying to add or remove comments on blogs published to MobileMe
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1763iWeb: Default page fails to load & browser continuously refreshes
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1727iWeb: In published site, Add Comment links don’t display or work correctly
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1762iWeb: Preserving website comments when upgrading from iWeb 1.x to 2.0
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2094Mac OS X 10.5: About viewing Mail Notes in MobileMe Mail
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1756Mac OS X 10.5: Address Book Sharing - clicking the sync icon does not start sync with MobileMe
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1757Mac OS X 10.5: MobileMe Sync menu icon spins constantly
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1182Mac OS X 10.5: Resetting the SyncServices folder
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1627Mac OS X 10.5: Syncing preference settings with MobileMe Sync
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2085Mac OS X: Can’t connect to iDisk, get "Error Code -50"
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1429Mac OS X: Do not remove or modify SyncServices folder
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1865Mac OS X: Mail - MobileMe account mailbox is dimmed
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1726MacBook (Late 2007): iDisk, MobileMe or remote home directory sync unsuccessful
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1759Maximum MobileMe message size
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2069MobileMe and Apple ID passwords cannot accept some characters
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1728MobileMe iDisk: Cannot Check Disk Space in System Preferences
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1737MobileMe mail messages are missing
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1730MobileMe scans email for viruses
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2076MobileMe Sync, Mac OS X 10.5: Calendar syncing issues
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1200MobileMe Sync: About syncing third-party Dashboard Widgets in Mac OS X 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1751MobileMe Sync: Alert after merging contacts
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1178MobileMe Sync: Conflict Resolver states that seemingly-identical contacts have conflicts after Mac OS X 10.5 upgrade
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1174MobileMe Sync: iCal Group Calendar name may change when syncing in Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1188MobileMe Sync: Initial syncing of Dashboard Widgets may result in duplicate widgets
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1750MobileMe Sync: Non-functioning web clips may be deleted after syncing Dashboard widgets
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1171MobileMe Sync: Removing third-party items from the MobileMe Sync pane in Mac OS X 10.5, 10.4
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1153MobileMe Sync: RSS status doesn’t not sync between Mac OS X 10.4 and Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1170MobileMe Sync: Syncing contact addresses between Mac OS X 10.4 and Mac OS X 10.5 causes sync conflict or alert
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1754MobileMe Sync: Syncing preferences may "hide" some application windows
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1199MobileMe Sync: User moved via Migration Assistant does not register computer for syncing
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1183MobileMe, Address Book Sharing: Contacts or Groups get out of sync
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1744MobileMe, iDisk: About the invisible ".filler.idsff" file
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1065MobileMe, Mac OS X 10.5: "An error was returned from the server" alert after changing your MobileMe password
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1748MobileMe, Mac OS X 10.5: iDisk Sync may not automatically sync changes
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1745MobileMe, Mail: Copying MobileMe or IMAP email messages to your hard disk
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1063MobileMe: "iDisk full" error
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1764MobileMe: "Temporarily unavailable" message when viewing a published calendar
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1658MobileMe: "The size of the iDisk on your computer needs to be adjusted" alert in Mac OS X 10.4
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1160MobileMe: About syncing more than one Mac to the same iDisk at the same time in Mac OS X 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1168MobileMe: Arabic characters in file names change after iDisk sync in Mac OS X 10.4
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2079MobileMe: Changes on an iPhone/iPod touch made to your calendars, contacts, or bookmarks while a sync is occuring may not sync to MobileMe
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1794MobileMe: Computer has less free disk space after turning on iDisk Syncing
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1154MobileMe: Configuring third-party email applications
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1625MobileMe: Email message "bounces" back after sending
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1187MobileMe: Empty browser cache if issues occur after a MobileMe Mail service interruption
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2078MobileMe: File contributed to a MobileMe Gallery via email doesn’t appear
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1747MobileMe: Identifying fraudulent "phishing" email
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2080MobileMe: iDisk Sync - Items in non-synced folders cannot be opened
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1761MobileMe: Issues sending messages in Mail or other email applications
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1152MobileMe: MobileMe Gallery maximum photo size
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1071MobileMe: Prompted for password when opening some folders on your iDisk in Mac OS X 10.5
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1749MobileMe: Prompted for password when syncing keychains
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1181MobileMe: Providing MobileMe support with long email headers for troubleshooting
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT1066MobileMe: Published photos or movies may take a long time to appear on your MobileMe Gallery
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1746MobileMe: Troubleshooting Syncing from Mac OS X
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=TS1679MobileMe: Using SSL encryption with your email
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2082Publishing a password-protected iCal calendar to iDisk
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2071Some items in Outlook may cause calendars to not sync
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=306757Why was I "spammed" at my MobileMe Mail address?
Tags: Apple, Apple Mail, calendar, contacts, dotmac, gallery, iCal, iDisk, iweb, mail.app, mobileme, problems, support, sync, technotes, the week from hell
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=HT2073
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Battery Life: The dilemma of a 3G iPhone owner.
A short and glorious life, or a long and dull one?
Owners of the new 3G iPhone face the same dilemma put to the Greek hero Achilles by the gods of Olympus. In the end, he chose glory. But iPhone users might take a different view.
The new phone has a more power-hungry chipset. Walt Mossberg is not the only one who has found
I take and make much fewer calls than he does, and I notice it too.
Apple has published a page of tips
Much of the advice is common sense: reduce the brightness of the screen, minimise or turn off the phone’s “push” features, turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if you don’t need them, don’t play games on it, and so on.
But three of the suggestions were news to me.
First, you can turn off 3G and still receive calls and data via GPRS and EDGE. Makes sense, but it never occurred to me. You will find the option in the Network section of General Preferences.
Secondly, “applying an equalizer setting to song playback on your iPhone can decrease battery life.” You can switch that off, or set it to “flat” in the phone’s iPod settings.
Lastly, Location Services chews a lot of power. Switching it on only when you need it will prolong the life of your battery.
Finally, it surprised me with its advice on cycling the battery:
For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it’s important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).
I have always thought—following someone’s sage advice when I was a gullible new Switcher—that it was important never to let the battery level fall too low. Now I know.
Luckily, just like Achilles my iPhone thirsts for a short and glorious life, so there will be no problem getting the battery charge down.
[Via InformationWeek
Tags: 3G, achilles, Apple, apple mail tips, battery life, iphone, Location Services, no Super Monkey Ball for you!, not apple mail
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More Mail Stationery, for sale and for free.
Jumsoft has released a pack of additional mail stationery templates for Leopard Mail.
The pack contains 50 “high-quality and exclusive design options for every occasion”, covering Family, Congratulations, Invitations, Emotions, Vacations and Seasons themes.
An additional group are described as “Neutral”, or multi-purpose.
You can view small thumbnails
The pack costs USD 39 and is available from Jumsoft’s web site
Value-conscious readers will want to compare this pack of 50 with the pack of 111 templates from equinix (reviewed in an earlier Hawk Wings post). The equinix pack retails for 24.95 euros (c. USD 40), twice as many template choices for almost the same price.
Of course, really value-conscious readers will want to make their own (see earlier Hawk Wings post
Novcon.net
The Novcon site also contains instructions on how to install the stationery.
Templates in the Jumsoft pack and on the Novcon.net site are now listed in the Templates section of the comprehensive Hawk Wings Plug-in and Add-on List.
Tags: Apple Mail, HTML, leopard mail, mail.app, plugins, stationery, templates
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