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Thunderbird:Help Documentation:Finding Information in Messages: Difference between revisions
Thunderbird:Help Documentation:Finding Information in Messages (view source)
Revision as of 22:39, 1 January 2006
, 1 January 2006→More Complex Searches: The `Search Messages' Window
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You can create your own views, change existing views, and delete views from the `Customize Message Views' dialog box. To bring up this dialog box, select `Customize...' from the `View:' list or from the View > Messages menu. | You can create your own views, change existing views, and delete views from the `Customize Message Views' dialog box. To bring up this dialog box, select `Customize...' from the `View:' list or from the View > Messages menu. | ||
=More Complex Searches: The | =More Complex Searches: The 'Search Messages' Window= | ||
Thunderbird supports more complicated searches in the | Thunderbird supports more complicated searches in the 'Search Messages' window, accessible through | ||
* the Edit > Find > Search Messages... menu item | |||
* right-clicking in the preview pane on any account or mailbox name and then clicking 'search messages'. | |||
To quit the search window, click the window's close button, press Ctrl+W or press Esc | |||
==Specifying Location== | ==Specifying Location== | ||
In the | In the 'Search Messages' window, first specify where to search. In the 'Search for messages in:' list, select the account (and folder, if any) to search in. Say you have an account called 'mail.isp.net' and you want to search the Inbox. Drop down the list, move the mouse over the account name, then click on 'Inbox' when the folder list appears as a sublist of the account list. If you want to search the entire account, click 'choose this folder' from the sublist. | ||
Next, uncheck the | Next, uncheck the 'Search subfolder' checkbox if you do not want to search subfolders. A mail folder can contain other mail folders called subfolders. Mail folders are subfolders of account 'folders'. | ||
==Specifying Criteria== | ==Specifying Criteria== | ||
Next, set up criteria for matching messages, such as a specific sender, send date or unread status | Next, set up criteria for matching messages, such as a specific sender, send date or unread status. | ||
Criteria are presented as a table of drop-down lists with three columns. Each row represents a single criterion. Add or remove criteria by clicking the | Criteria are presented as a table of drop-down lists with three columns. Each row represents a single criterion. Add or remove criteria by clicking the 'More' and 'Fewer' buttons just below the criteria table. | ||
The columns of the table are: | The columns of the table are: | ||
; The name of the criterion : That is, what you want to check. This may be the subject of the message, the sender, the age in days, priority, attachment status, recipients, and so on. | ; The name of the criterion : That is, what you want to check. This may be the subject of the message, the sender, the age in days, priority, attachment status, recipients, and so on. | ||
; The comparison : That is, whether the subject is the same as, different from, more or less or equal, and so on. For different | ; The comparison : That is, whether the subject is the same as, different from, more or less or equal, and so on. For different criteria, the available comparisons are different. | ||
; The value that you specify : For example, if you want to specify that a message must be 6 days old, you would type | ; The value that you specify : For example, if you want to specify that a message must be less than 6 days old, you would type '6' here. | ||
Example: | Example: | ||
: You want to match all messages which are 6 days old. Select | : You want to match all messages which are precisely 6 days old. Select 'Age In Days' in the first drop-down list, 'is' in the second and type '6' in the third column box. | ||
===Multiple Criteria=== | ===Multiple Criteria=== | ||
When you set up more than one criterion, you have the choice of matching any or all the criteria. For example, | When you set up more than one criterion, you have the choice of matching any or all the criteria by using the button near the top of the 'search messages' pane (immediately under the search subolders checkbox). For example, suppose you specify the criteria 'Age in days is 6' and 'From contains dave'. Then if you specify 'Match all of the following', the search will list only those messages where both criteria are met. If you specify 'Match any of the following' the search is for messages where either criterion is met, so it will list all messages where the From field includes the letters 'dave' and all those which are precisely 6 days old. | ||
==Results== | ==Results== | ||
Once you've specified the criteria, click the | Once you've specified the criteria, click the 'Search' button on the top-right corner of the window and the search results will appear as a list of messages in the lower half of the window. (There is a divider between the criteria and the results that you can drag to adjust the space taken up by the two parts.) | ||
The results list is a message list like in the main Thunderbird window, except there is no context menu for the messages. | The results list is a message list like in the main Thunderbird window, except there is no context menu for the messages. | ||
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; Save as Search Folder : Saves the search as a virtual folder where all matching messages appear. The practical effect of this is that these messages show up both in their original folder and in the search folder, and that each time a new message arrives that fits the search criteria, it automatically shows up in the search folder. | ; Save as Search Folder : Saves the search as a virtual folder where all matching messages appear. The practical effect of this is that these messages show up both in their original folder and in the search folder, and that each time a new message arrives that fits the search criteria, it automatically shows up in the search folder. | ||
The | The 'Clear' button right below the 'Search' button erases all the criteria you have chosen. | ||