4.2 Mail
Kontact uses KMail as its e-mail component. To configure it,
open the mail component then select . KMail is a fully-featured e-mail client that
supports a number of protocols. contains
several useful tools for managing unwanted e-mails. Use
to perform a detailed search for
messages. can help manage
tools for filtering unwanted commercial e-mails.
helps manage e-mail virus
scanners. These two wizards work with external spam and virus
software. If the options are disabled, install additional packages
for protection against spam and viruses.
4.2.1 Configuring Identities and Accounts
Kontact can manage multiple e-mail accounts, such as your
private e-mail address and your business address. When writing
an e-mail, select one of the identities previously defined by
clicking . To create a new identity profile, select then . In the dialog that opens, give the new identity a
name, such as private
or office.
Click to open a dialog in which to enter
additional information. You can also assign an identity to a
folder so that, when replying to a message in that folder, the
assigned identity is selected.
Under the tab, enter your name,
organization, and e-mail address. Under
, select your keys to send
digitally signed or encrypted messages. For the encryption
features to work, first create a key with KGpg, described in
Section 10.0,
Encryption with KGpg.
Under , you can enter a default
reply-to and a default blind carbon-copy address, choose a
dictionary, select the folders for drafts and sent messages, and
define how messages should be sent. Under
, decide if and how each of your
messages should be signed with an extra block of text at the
end. For example, you might sign each e-mail with your contact
information. To activate this option, select and decide whether to obtain the signature
from a file, an input field, or the output of a command. With
, you can specify the path to a
small (48x48 pixel) monochrome icon to display in all your mails
if the recipient's software supports this feature. When you are
finished with all your identity settings, confirm with
.
The settings under decide how
Kontact receives and sends e-mail. There are two tabs, one each
for sending and for receiving mail. Many of these settings vary
depending on the system and network in which your mail server is
located. If you are not sure about the settings or items to
select, consult your ISP or system administrator.
To create outgoing mail boxes under the
tab, click .
Choose between the SMTP and sendmail transport types. SMTP is
the correct choice in most cases. After making this selection, a
window appears in which to enter SMTP server data. Provide a
name and enter the server address (as given to you by your ISP).
If the server wants you to authenticate yourself, enable
. Security
settings are under the tab. Specify
your preferred encryption method here.
Make settings for receiving e-mail under the
tab. Use
to create a new account. Choose between different methods for
retrieving mail, such as local (stored in Mbox or Maildir
format), POP3, or IMAP. Make the settings appropriate for your
server.
4.2.2 Importing E-Mail from Other Mail Programs
To import e-mail from other applications, select from the mail view in Kontact. It currently
features import filters for Outlook Express, the mbox format,
e-mail text format, Pegasus Mail, Opera, Evolution, and more.
The import utility can also be started separately with the
command kmailcvt.
Select the corresponding application and confirm with
. A file or a folder must be
provided, depending on the selected type. Kontact then completes
the process.
4.2.3 Creating Messages
To compose new messages, select or click the corresponding icon in the toolbar. To
send messages from different e-mail accounts, select one of the
identities as described in Section 4.2.1,
Configuring Identities and Accounts. In , enter an e-mail address or
part of a name or address in your address book. If Kontact can
match what you enter to something in the address book, a
selection list opens. Click the desired contact or complete your
input if none matches. To select directly from the address book,
click the button next to the Address
field.
To attach files to your message, click the paperclip icon
and select the file to attach. Alternatively, drag a file from
the desktop or another folder to the window or select one of the options in the
menu. Normally, the format of a file
is recognized correctly. If the format is not recognized,
right-click the icon. From the menu that appears, select
. Set the format and filename in
the next dialog and add a description. In addition, decide
whether the attached file should be signed or encrypted.
When you are finished composing your message, send it
immediately with or move it to the outbox with . If you send the e-mail, the message is copied to
sent-mail after having been sent
successfully. Messages moved to the outbox
can be edited or deleted.
4.2.4 Encrypted E-Mail and Signatures
To encrypt your e-mail, first generate a key pair as
described in Section 10.0,
Encryption with KGpg. To configure
the details of the encryption procedure, select to specify the identity under which to send
encrypted and signed messages. Then press
. After confirming with
, the key should be displayed in the
corresponding field. Close the configuration dialog with
.
4.2.5 Folders
Message folders help organize your messages. By default,
they are located in the directory
~/.kde/share/apps/kmail/mail. When
starting KMail for the first time, the program creates several
folders. inbox is where new messages
fetched from a server are initially placed.
outbox is used for temporary storage of
messages queued for sending. sent-mail is
for copies of messages sent. trash contains
copies of all e-mails deleted with Del or . drafts is where you can save
unfinished messages. If you are using IMAP, the IMAP folders are
listed below the local folders. Each incoming mail server has
its folders in the Folder list.
If you want to organize your messages in additional
folders, create new folders by selecting . This opens a window in which to specify the name
and format of the new folder.
Right-click the folder for a context menu offering several
folder operations. Click to specify
the expiration date for read and unread messages, what should
happen with them after expiration, and whether expired messages
should be deleted or moved to a folder. If you intend to use the
folder to store messages from a mailing list, set the necessary
options under .
To move one or several messages from one folder to another,
drag them from the upper window and drop them into the
appropriate folder in the left window. Messages can also be
moved by highlighting the messages then pressing
M or selecting . In the list of folders that appears, select the
folder to which to move your messages.
4.2.6 Filters
Filters are a convenient method of automatically processing
incoming mail. They use aspects of the mail, such as sender or
size, to move mail to certain folders, delete unwanted mails,
bounce mails back to the sender, or perform a number of other
actions.
Setting Up a Filter
To create a filter from scratch, select . To create a filter based on an existing
message, right-click the desired message then select
and the desired filter
criteria.
Select the match method for filter criteria (all or any).
Then select criteria that applies only to the desired
messages. In , set what the
filter should do to the messages that meet the criteria.
provides control over
when the filter is applied and whether additional filters
should be considered for these messages.
Applying Filters
Filters are applied in the order listed in the dialog
accessed with . Change the order by selecting a filter and
clicking the arrow buttons. Filters are only applied to new
incoming messages or sent messages as specified in the
filter's advanced options. To apply filters to existing
messages, right-click the desired messages and choose
and the desired filter.
If your filters do not act as expected, monitor them with . When logging is enabled in this dialog, it
shows how messages are processed by your filters and can help
locate the problem.
