 Automatically sort incoming messagesMinimum version: FirstClass 8.1
Audience: All users
Experience:
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 SummaryDo you get too much email, making your Mailbox hard to sort through? Try using FirstClass mail rules to automatically file incoming mail into different folders based on sender, subject, and so on. Mail rules can also automatically remove spam.
ExampleMichael Green, the VP of Sales and Marketing at Husky Planes, receives so many messages in his Mailbox over the course of a day that he has decided to use mail rules to help manage his Mailbox.
First, he creates the following folders and conferences to store the incoming messages:
� Personal
This folder receives personal emails he receives during the day.
� Newsletters
This folder receives the newsletters he receives during the month.
� ABC Project
This folder receives incoming email about an ongoing project Michael wants to track.
� Faxes
This folder receives all incoming faxes.
� Delete
This is a conference that receives NDNs, spam, and any other messages he wants deleted.
 NoteThis container must be a conference, not a folder, because it requires an expiry date.
 TipThis conference has an expiry date of two days, so Michael can check it at the end of each day to make sure he didn't miss any important messages. He changes this date when he goes on vacation to prevent accidental deletion of messages.
Next, he creates five advanced mail rules in his Mailbox to handle the incoming messages.
1 He opens the mail rules folder by choosing Collaborate > Rules while his Mailbox is the active window.
2 He chooses File > New > New Advanced Rule to create each of the following rules:
Storing personal messages
The first rule, Personal, files messages he receives from friends and family.
 Storing newsletters
The second rule, Newsletters, files incoming newsletters he has subscribed to.
 Storing project correspondence
The third rule, ABC Project, files incoming mail containing "ABC" in the message subject or body.
 Storing faxes
The fourth rule, Faxes, files all incoming faxes.
 Deleting messages
The last rule, Delete, files incoming mail that is most likely spam.
 All other mail will be directed to Michael's Mailbox.
 CautionThe order of the rules is important. Each rule checks whether the message meets the specific criteria. If it doesn't, it goes to the next rule in the list. Once a condition is met, the rules stop processing. If none of the criteria are met, the message will go to Michael's Mailbox. Here is the list of rules as they appear in the Rules list.
 Variations� Instead of using a mail rule to handle spam, Michael could have used the Junk setting in Preferences. However, by filing it away and checking it every so often, he has more control over what is rejected, so he can make sure nothing important slips through.
� Michael also sorted his sent messages to further minimize Mailbox clutter. Click here to find out how he did it.
� When Michael went on vacation, he created some more rules to manage his incoming mail. Click here to see what he did.
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