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Webmail: What's New

This page summarizes the most significant changes from the old version of Webmail, to the version Simmons will begin using in March 2007. According to our user testing, the improvements are welcome, but not dramatic enough to cause most people any confusion. Please read about the first 4 changes listed below, especially regarding virtual trash, and automatically purging trash; the rest may be of less interest to you, but we provide them for your information. For an introduction to Webmail as a whole, see the Getting Started guide.

Contents of this guide

1. Visual Changes
2. The Side Bar: an alternate method of navigation
3. Composing HTML Messages
4. Virtual Trash Folder
5. Trash: Automatic Purge
6. Stay Under Quota: Strip Attachments
7. Configuration and Options

1. Visual Changes

   While the login screen and process remain identical, the main interface of Simmons Webmail has been updated. You will notice that several of the icons have a new look and there are a few added features at the top of the screen.

   New

   Old

   The function of these buttons should be familiar to you, but note that the Compose button has been renamed New Message.

   Please see Symbols and Features of the Getting Started guide for further explanation of these buttons.

   At the top of the screen, where the name of the folder you are currently viewing is displayed, the number of unread messages in that folder is show in parenthesis.

   Above your list of messages, the Select, Mark as, and Move|Copy buttons have been compacted to the left-most portion of the screen. In addition to Delete, Undelete, or Blacklist, there are now buttons to Whitelist, Forward, or View your messages.

   Back to contents

2. The Side Bar: an alternate method of navigation

   Like the old Webmail, you can still select a mail folder from the Open Folder list at the top right hand corner.

   

   New Feature

   In the new Webmail, the Side bar provides an easy way to navigate your email folders, address book, and options. By default, the Side Bar is closed, or hidden. You can toggle the Side Bar open and closed by clicking the (Toggle) Button on the left-most portion of your screen. Click the (plus sign) next to a category to expand a list of options. The Mail category will show a list of all your email folders.

   Please see Reading Messages of the Getting Started guide for further explanation.

   Back to contents

3. Composing HTML Messages

   You can use the new version of Simmons Webmail to send messages using HTML formatting. This allows you to bold and underline text, to change the font size and color, and to format the message in ways normally reserved for a word processing application. Some people enjoy this capability.

   To send HTML formatted text, you can click (Switch to HTML composition) in the Message Composition window. You can set this by default if you go to Message Options: Message Composition, then click the box labeled "Compose messages with an HTML GUI by default." Note that not all web browsers support this feature.

   For more information about Composing HTML Messages, as well as Reading HTML Messages, see the Getting Started guide.

   Back to contents

4. Virtual Trash Folder

   The new Simmons Webmail contains all of the options for deleting your email messages that existed in the previous version. You can Mark Messages for Deletion (put a line through them), create a Trash Folder, or permenantly delete messages without storing them first. You can choose to hide or unhide messages that are Marked for Deletion and you can purge your email account of all deleted messages.

   In the new Simmons Webmail, there is a Virtual Trash Folder created for you by default.

   This folder provides you with one place to review all of your deleted messages before permanently purging them. The (Empty Trash) button will remove all messages that appear in the Virtual Trash Folder from your Simmons email account.

   Note: The benefit of the Virtual Trash folder is that it will purge all of your deleted messages from your Simmons email account, regardless of the method with which you choose to store them.

   Please see Deleting and Moving Messages of the Getting Started guide for further explanation.

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5. Trash: Automatic Purge

   In the new Simmons Webmail, By default, the Trash Folder is set to Purge on a monthly basis. This means that when you login, all messages in your Trash Folder that are older than 30 days will be permanently removed from your Simmons email account. You will be presented with a confirmation message before this happens.

   Please see Login Tasks of the Getting Started guide for further explanation.

   You have always been able to configure maintenance operations that occur each time you login. If you have a Login Task scheduled, you will be presented with a confirmation message when you login, before seeing your email messages. You can choose to "Perform" or "Skip" the maintenance before continuing.

   

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6. Stay Under Quota: Strip Attachments

   In the old Webmail, an attachment to a message was always saved within the message itself (including messages stored in your sent folder). To remove the attachment from your Simmons email account (which you might want to do to stay under quota), you had to delete the entire message.

   With the new version, you can strip an attachment from a message. This allows you to save an attachment to your computer, strip the attachment from your message, and keep the message in Webmail without the attachment.

   Important: if you save your sent mail (the default Webmail setting), Webmail will strip attachments from your sent-mail, unless you change the "Save Attachments with messages in sent-mail folder?" option to Yes when you add an attachment. You can change the global setting through Options, but Technology recommends you do not change the global setting in order to more easily stay under quota. In your sent-mail, Webmail does indicate that a message included an attachment, whether you saved the attachment with the message or not.

   Please see Sending Attachments of the Getting Started guide for further explanation.

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7. Configuration and Options

   The Options screen has been somewhat re-organized, with accurate descriptions of possible configurations.

   

   A notable change is to the Personal Information choices, under General Options. There is no longer a need to choose an identity before typing your personal information. Simply fill out the boxes that appear on the screen.

   Please see Personal Information of the Getting Started guide for further explanation.

   Back to contents