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[Graphic: Tools You Can Use]
Sort and File Copies of Outgoing Email Messages

Whenever you send an email message using Pine, a copy is placed in your "sent-mail" folder. Pine has a feature that lets you file those copies away elsewhere, into an address-specific folder. Then, when you go to look for a particular message, it is easier to find.

File Carbon Copies Feature Saves Email to Right Folder

Fcc (File carbon copies) is the feature on Pine that allows you to file away your outgoing email message into a particular folder as you send it. For example, you may want every message you send to your boss to go in a folder with his or her name. Or you might like to file together all email messages you send concerning a project or budget number.

When you compose an email message, and are still in the address (header) section, press <Control>R (Rich Hdr) to see that the Fcc default setting is "sent-mail." You can change the Fcc line each time you send an email message, but there is a faster and easier way to use the Fcc feature to save your messages to the right folder.

[Graphic: Pine windows show the Address Book (with Fcc completed) and a composed message that uses Fcc.]

Complete the Fcc (File carbon copies) line in your Address Book entries to sort your outgoing email messages to the right folder. Then, when you compose a message, the Fcc will appear automatically after you complete the "To" line and press Return.

Assign Fcc to Address Book Entries

If every time you write an email message to a particular person, or to a list of people, and you want that message saved to a specific folder (the person's last name, or by topic such as travel, conferences, research, etc.), you can set that up using the Address Book feature on Pine.

To assign Fcc to Address Book entries, follow these steps:

  1. At the Pine Main Menu, press A (Address Book). (If you have more than one Address Book, select one and press <Return> to see your list.)

  2. To fill in the Fcc line of an existing Address Book entry, highlight it and press V (View/Edit). Or, to add a new Address Book entry, press A (AddNew).

  3. At the Fcc line, type the name of a new or existing folder where you want to file copies of the messages you send to that person.

  4. If this is a new Address Book entry, fill in the other lines.

  5. Press <Control>X to exit, and press Y (yes) at the prompt to save your changes.

Now when you compose an email message to that person, the Fcc line always appears, showing you the name of the folder in which the message you are about to send will be filed. (Note: you will be asked whether to create the folder if it does not already exist.)

If you want to save the message to a different folder, stay on the Fcc line and press <Control>K (cut line) to delete what is there, and then type the name of another folder.

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University of Washington Computing & Communications
Windows on Computing, No. 20, Autumn 1997
newsltr@cac.washington.edu