Dear Doug,

@10-Apr-2004, 20:33 Doug Weller [DW] in
mid:[EMAIL PROTECTED] said to Jonathan:

>> Something like that, I think it's been mentioned in the past for
>> folder templates, if you do a search for Marck's "folder
>> templates are evil" reply, you can normally find a bunch of
>> suggestions ;)

DW>   I just searched the archives, and can find a reference by Marck to his
DW>   'folder templates are evil lecture', but not the post itself.

Okay, okay! I'll bite.

<stock lecture>
I have a pet hate in TB. That pet hate is named "Folder Templates". In
150 folders I have two and only two that have folder templates. They
are for two specific lists which don't set the reply address properly.

There is nothing else for which folder templates can be used that
can't be covered and even improved upon using Address Book templates.
There are "dangers" in using Folder Templates that are not there when
you use AB templates.

The dangers are all complacency based and are at their worst in
templates which use the "%TO=" macro. If, at the instant you start a
new message you happen to be focused on the wrong folder, the message
gets given the wrong address. This happens when you click a mailto
without changing folders. The results vary from embarrassing to
excruciating depending upon the content of the misdirected mail.

BTW - another mistake in such templates is to use the construct
%TO="[EMAIL PROTECTED]" without a "%TO=''" before it. So any
pre-existing addresses are retained.

Back to the lecture: every time I say this, someone takes exception to
something I've said with comments like "'danger' is a bit harsh" or
"I've used Folder templates for ages and it's never gone wrong for
me".

Here's a fact for you: it goes wrong. That's why I'm writing this
message yet again.

It works exactly as designed and that design has a fundamental flaw.
The flaw is that it places too much responsibility on the user to make
sure that the addresses given on a new message are those intended.

With address book templates, there is never a mistake of this kind.
Replies are perfectly directed. New messages are "a bit trickier".
Instead of clicking to the folder then clicking for a new message, you
have to click to the right of the new message button and select the
list address from the favourites (having denoted that the address *is*
a favourite in the address book).
</stock lecture>

-- 
Cheers -- //.arck D Pearlstone -- List moderator
TB! v2.05 Beta/16 on Windows XP 5.1.2600 Service Pack 1
'

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