Hello Marck,
On Sat, 28 Oct 2000 at 19:15:57 GMT +0100 (which was 11:15 AM
where I live) witnesses say Marck D. Pearlstone typed:
> using %TO in folder reply templates is a *bad* *bad* idea.
Using %CC and %BCC also have these problems. The *only* time they are
needed in your folder template is if you expressly want a *copy* of
all messages to go to a second address. An example of this is
messages from work should be sent to your home address or something.
But this does not change the fact that mailing list addresses should
not appear in the %TO macro of templates.
> It is a matter of incautious use of a dangerous feature.
Dangerous? Perhaps a little melodramatic? It's not like anyone has
sent their personal love letters or plans to take over the world to
the list at this point.
> Whatever address you *want* the reply to go to (the list server, the
> original sender, someone completely different), that address is
> *immediately* removed and replaced by the one specified by the
> template.
Clarification: The original address is only removed if you have the
%TO="" macro in your template. If you only have %To="[EMAIL PROTECTED]"
then you will *add* [EMAIL PROTECTED] to your list of recipients.
> Once it has happened, then it is further carelessness on the part of
> the user that allows the message to be sent out to the wrong address,
> because it could be manually repaired if checked.
Yup. This is the drawback of automation. People tend to get careless
after the system has worked well in the past.
> The message should be clear. Use of %TO macros in folder templates is
> dangerous. IMHO it is much safer to reserve their use for Address Book
> templates only.
Why do you need the %To macro in the address book? If you're using
the Address Book, the message will already be addressed by the time
the template kicks in. The only time one needs the %To macro in the
reply template is to do what you do:
Change
To: "Marck D. Pearlstone" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
to
To: "Marck D. Pearlstone on TBBETA" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
But even if you do this, a specific address *never* has to be hard
coded into your templates. The example above is accomplished by the
well known template line:
%TO=""%TO="""%OFROMNAME on TBBETA"" <%OREPLYADDR>"
This macro results in what you see in my To: line. As some may
notice, no address is hard coded into this template. This is much
better in the long run.
So to break down this full discussion one more time:
[Marck, considering the number of times this is coming up, perhaps
this should go into the welcome letter or FAQ?]
Folder level templates:
-should *never* have a main recipient listed in the template
i.e. Your TBBETA folder level template should *not* have
%TO="[EMAIL PROTECTED]" in it anywhere.
-have potential pitfalls
i.e. Hard coded addresses in %TO, %CC or %BCC macros can and usually
will cause more problems than they are worth.
-good for folders where recipient addresses were previously unknown
e.g. Tech support or Sales templates may be best handled by folder
level templates.
Address book level templates:
-Great for addresses you know previously
i.e. the address for this list is a well known address. It doesn't
vary from message to message.
-Provide flexibility
i.e. these work in any folder. This is good if your filter somehow
misses a message and leaves it in your inbox, or if you decide
to post a message to the list while viewing some other folder
or account.
-Avoids the misdirected mail problems being discussed here.
-Avoids the mailto: link problem described by Nick
-Works regardless of how many address books you have.
-Only useful if you *previously* know the address. However, the
discussion is about templates pertaining to this list. In this case
the address is previously known.
-don't need %To="[EMAIL PROTECTED]" since the messages will
*automatically* be addressed by the address book.
For mailing lists, it is practically an inescapable conclusion that
Address Book level templates are the way to go.
If you want to change how the To line looks for your replies to this
mailing list, use:
%TO=""%TO="""%OFROMNAME on TBBETA"" <%OREPLYADDR>"
[Some sample templates could be inserted here]
--
Thanks for writing,
Januk Aggarwal
See header for e-mail address
Using The Bat! 1.47 Halloween Edition
under Windows 98 4.10 Build 2222 A
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