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| For more information about customizing views, [click here]. | | For more information about customizing views, [click here]. |
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| =More Complex Searches: The 'Search Messages' Window= | | =More Advanced Searches= |
| | Thunderbird allows you to search your messages using very precise, advanced criteria. in a more advanced way by using the 'Search Messages' window. To do this: |
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| Thunderbird supports more complicated searches in the 'Search Messages' window, accessible through | | # Choose '''Edit > Find > Search Messages…''', or right-click the name of any folder and choose '''Search messages…'''. The Search Messages dialog box appears. |
| | # In this dialog box, use the '''Search for messages in:''' list to specify which folder to search. |
| | # Specify whether or not you want to search subfolders within the specified folder. (This option is checked by default.) |
| | # In the upper area of the dialog box, specify your search criteria. |
| | ##You can search messages by properties such as size (for instance, larger than 100KB) and date (for instance, received in the last 3 days). |
| | ##You can also search for specific text in the message subject or body. |
| | ##You can specify multiple criteria by clicking the '+' buttons [screenshot], or remove criteria by clicking the '-' buttons [screenshot]. If you specify multiple criteria, you can instruct Thunderbird to search for messages that match either ''any''' or ''all'' of the criteria. |
| | # Click the '''Search''' button to begin your search. |
| | ## When Thunderbird finds messages that meet your criteria, they are listed in the lower area of the dialog box. |
| | ## Click a message in this list to select it. You can then use the buttons at the bottom of the dialog box to open, file or delete the selected message. |
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| * the Edit > Find > Search Messages... menu item
| | To clear all the criteria you have entered so far, click '''Clear''' at the top right. |
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| * right-clicking in the preview pane on any account or mailbox name and then clicking 'search messages'.
| | =Creating your own Saved Search folders= |
| | | If you regularly carry out a particular search, you can save that search as a Saved Search folder. Saved Search folders behave like ordinary message folders, but they only contain messages which match the criteria you specify. For more information, [click here]. |
| To quit the search window, click the window's close button, press Ctrl+W or press Esc
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| ==Specifying Location==
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| 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.
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| 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'.
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| ==Specifying Criteria==
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| Next, set up criteria for matching messages, such as a specific sender, send date or unread status.
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| 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.
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| The columns of the table are:
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| ; 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.
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| ; 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.
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| ; 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.
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| Example:
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| : 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.
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| ===Multiple Criteria===
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| 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.
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| ==Results==
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| 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.)
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| 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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| Below the results list is a row of buttons to manipulate the search results. The buttons are:
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| ; Open : Opens a message; same as double-clicking it.
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| ; File : A drop-down menu which lets you move messages to another folder.
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| ; Delete : Deletes a message; same as pressing the Delete key.
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| ; Open Message Folder : Opens a new Thunderbird main window, goes to the message's folder, and selects the message.
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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.
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| The 'Clear' button right below the 'Search' button erases all the criteria you have chosen.
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