On 9/30/02 9:45 PM, Gabriel ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) said; >I'm also not clear how/why to check the checkbox at the bottom: "Stop >mail action if criteria met". I tried Emailer help, which it didn't. >And you? > >Thanks, >Gabriel
The "If True" and the "If False" Columns are logical operators. If you have ever messed with an "IF" statement or a "Case" statement, you have the general idea. If you pull down the little arrows you see that you actually have 3 + choices on each column, "Apply Actions", Don't Apply Actions, and "Go to Next Line". These 3 lines are followed by however many lines you have entered into your filter. Each line of your filter entry has a number on the very left. I have not used this feature so I am not entirely sure of it's usefulness but I think something could be done with it on a more advanced level. The reason the filter program always asks you after you save it, if your last thought should be to apply actions of to not apply actions, it is because each filter acts in a stack, or a list or a group with all your other filters. What is at the top of your filters gets checked first. Then one by one until the bottom of the list. The same is true for each entry in each filter. It goes through your filter criteria from the top, one by one, until it has compared each filter entry with the incoming message. Example: I have 2 filters. I have a filter named "Friends" before a filter named "Spam". I put in friends, a filter entry that says, if "From" contains "Joe Brown", apply actions. Then I put in 2 more entries in friends, if "From" contains "Joe Montana", apply actions and, if "From" contains "Sally Struthers", apply actions. Then I save this and choose "Apply Actions" for my last filter action. (This is normally Not what you want to do but I am using it here for an illustration) That tells the filter that, if the last criteria, IS NOT met, (look at the column it is in) then apply the filter ANYWAY. That is why your last "If Not" columns needs to be "Don't apply actions." There may be some others who have methods for using it some other way, like having your spam filter set last and using apply actions as a catch all, but for this explanation lets assume that your filters are looking for specific criteria. And when that criteria is NOT met, they move on to the next filter. Continuing with the example, if a message comes through that says "Subject Line" contains "CASH", normally this would set off the "Spam" filter. Since I have set the "Spam" filter to come after the "Friends" filter (beneath it), only what is left over from the earlier filter will be checked by the "Spam" filter. If your last criteria in "Friends" was Apply actions if not true, then this message would have been already acted upon by the "Friends" filter. The "Spam" filter will not see it. In a similar fashion, If the next message is from Joe Brown and the subject line has the word "Cash" in it, then it will be filtered according to your "Friends" filter. It will also not see the Spam filter. This is because the fiends filter already sent Joe Brown to what ever action the friends filter was set to, and then stopped. That's what filters do. When they find a match with what's true, the do the true action, and they stop. I hope this helps rather than hinders. Dave Groover ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe send a mail message with a SUBJECT line of "unsubscribe" to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
