15 - Adding an address to the Addresses folder - Background Information
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Dropping a message file onto the 'Address' program object starts RexxMail with the '/address' switch and the message file name as arguments. RexxMail looks at the message file's extended attributes to determine whether the message is incoming or outgoing. It then extracts the name and address of the message's sender or its recipient, respectively, and creates a mail message template object in the 'Addresses' folder, using the extracted information for the recipient's address ('To:') line and the object's title.
The object's title starts with an exclamation mark ('!') to make it easier to spot in the 'Addresses' folder (by ensuring that it appears at the top of the list when sorted by name). You can now edit the title to suit your preferences.
Of course, the title and contents of the template file can be changed at any time, either by editing the file directly or by exporting and importing an appropriately formatted address book text file.
Tip: if you edit the titles of your message templates to contain the name of the recipient with a full stop ('.') between the first and last name, like 'John.Doe <johndoe@somewhere.net>' or 'Doe.John <johndoe@somewhere.net>', or simply 'Doe.John', you can sort the 'Addresses' (sub)folder contents by first name or by last name simply by installing a WPS enhancer like WXorkPlace and selecting 'sort by file name' or 'sort by file name extension' from the folder's pop-up menu.
Since mail message templates are normal OS/2 file templates, they do not have to reside in the 'Addresses' (sub-)folder, but can be kept and used anywhere on the system. The 'Addresses' folder is simply the place where RexxMail creates them.
© 2001 M.C. de Geus
Last updated 20010920