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Computing at Cornell E-mail Services

Writing E-mail

With Eudora

How to ...

arrow Write and Send Messages

  1. Click the New Message button on Eudora's main Toolbar.
    Or go to the Message menu and choose New Message. A new message window opens.



  2. Type the addresses of the people you want to receive the message in the To: field. If you are sending this message to more than one address, put a comma after each address.

    purple bullet Can't remember someone's address? See "Finding E-mail Addresses."

    purple bullet Want to make a shortcut for an address? See "Create Nicknames," below.

  3. Press the tab key or use the mouse to move to the Subject: field. Type a subject that describes what the message is about.
  4. If desired, type addresses in the Cc: and Bcc: fields.

    purple bullet Cc: (carbon copy) is for people who should know about your message but don't have to do anything.

    purple bullet Bcc: (blind carbon copy) sends your message to some people without the other recipients (in the To: or Cc: fields) knowing.

  5. Press the tab key or use the mouse to move to the blank portion of the message window. Type your message here. Note that you don't need to press Return or Enter at the end of each line; Eudora wraps the text like a word processor.
  6. When you have finished, click the Send button in the upper right corner. Your message will be sent. A copy will be put in your Out mailbox.

Keep Copies of Messages You Write

Both the Windows and Macintosh version delivered with Bear Access are set to keep copies of the messages you send in your Out mailbox, but you can turn this feature off if you prefer. In Windows, go to Eudora's Tools menu and choose Options. On Macintosh, go to Eudora's Special menu and choose Settings.

Click the Sending Mail icon in the scroll box on the left. Check or uncheck the box next to "Keep copies" or "Keep copies of outgoing mail", then click OK. If you chose to keep copies, your outgoing messages will be stored in your Out mailbox.  (You can also filter outgoing messages so that they are stored in other mailboxes.)


Save Messages so You Can Finish Writing them Later

Instead of clicking on the Send button, go to the File menu and choose Save. Your message will be stored in your Out mailbox, marked with a bullet. When you're ready to continue writing, go to your Out mailbox and open the message.

 

arrow Reply to Messages

You have two choices when you respond to messages you have received: Reply, or Reply to All. With either option, Eudora will mark each line of the original message with a series of ">" marks, or with a solid vertical line in the left margin if text styles (bold, colors, etc.) were used. Those marks help readers keep track of who said what.

Reply sends your reply to the original sender of the message.
Reply to All sends your reply to the original sender plus everyone else who received the message. (The Macintosh version of Eudora does not have this button, but you can still "reply to all" as described below.)
  1. Open the mailbox that contains the message to which you want to reply. Click once on the desired message summary. (If the message if already open, skip this step.)
  2. To reply only to the sender, click the Reply button on Eudora's main Toolbar. Or go to the Message menu and choose Reply.
  • To reply to all recipients, in Windows, click the Reply to All button on Eudora's main Toolbar or choose Reply to All from the Message menu. On Macintosh, hold down the Option key as you open the Message menu; this will change the Reply choice into Reply To All.
  1. A new message window opens. The To: and Subject: fields are already filled in (edit them if needed). The text of the original message is also included -- if desired, delete all or part of that text. Then type your reply.
    Hint: Please don't quote the whole message. It is considered polite to delete the parts of the original message that aren't needed when you reply. This keeps your messages short and doesn't waste bandwidth.

     Double-check the "To" Field when Replying to Messages!

    Before you send your reply, look at the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields again to make sure your message is going where you intend. This is especially important when you're replying privately to a message that was sent to many other people, or that came from a mailing list.


  2. When you have finished, click the Send button.

Include Only Selected Text in Your Replies

You can easily include only a portion of the original message in your reply.

Windows: Open the original message and select the text you want to include. Then go to the Message menu and select Reply. A new message window automatically opens with only the text you selected.

Macintosh: Open the original message and select the text you want to include. Hold down the Shift key as you open the Message menu; this will change the Reply choice to Reply Quoting Selection. A new message window automatically opens with only the text you selected.

 

arrow Send Attachments

You can include documents or files when you send an e-mail message. You can send any type of file, but keep in mind that the person receiving your message will need to have the right software to be able to open your attachment.

  1. Click the Attach File button on Eudora's main Toolbar.
    Or go to the Message menu and choose Attach File (Windows) or Attach Document (Macintosh).
  2. A dialog box will open with a directory of the files on your computer. Locate the file you want to send and click Open (Windows) or Attach (Macintosh). In your e-mail message, you'll see the file listed on the Attached (Windows) or X-Attachments (Macintosh) line in the message header. To attach another file, repeat steps 1 and 2.

    Alternatively, you can attach a file by selecting the file's icon and dragging it onto the message window instead of following steps 1 and 2.

    Un-attach a file: Go to the Attached (Windows) or X-Attachments (Macintosh) line in the message header and select the file name. Press the Delete key. Or choose Clear from the Edit menu.

  3. If necessary, tell Eudora how to encode the attachment, using the message toolbar's Attachment popup.

    Eudora uses the MIME standard to encode attachments unless you choose another option. Eudora and several other major e-mail programs can send and receive MIME data.

    Eudora MIME button Windows: MIME is chosen by default and is usually the best option. If you know your message is going to someone whose e-mail software cannot handle MIME data, choose BinHex for Macintosh users, or Uuencode for UNIX users.

    Eudora BinHex button Macintosh: AppleDouble is chosen by default and is usually the best option. If the message is going to a UNIX user, choose Uuencode. If you know the recipient's e-mail program can't handle MIME data, choose BinHex.

  4. Mention in your message that you have included an attachment and what kind of file it is (for example, Word 97). The person receiving your attachment will need to have the appropriate software to read your file.

The total size of all files attached to a single message must be under 50 MB during the day (8 AM to 6PM, Monday through Friday), and 100 MB at all other times. You should also know that when your outgoing message is encoded (transport encodings are the information that allows your message to be safely sent and read.), the size increases a bit. This means that, for example, an attachment that is only 45 to 48 MB in size may push the total message size above 50 MB.

Find out more about attachments, including steps to take if people are having trouble receiving your attachments.

arrow Check Your Spelling

As delivered, Eudora automatically checks your spelling as you type. Words Eudora thinks are misspelled will be underlined in red. To have Eudora correct your spelling, go to the Edit menu and choose Check Spelling. (In Windows you can also right-click on an underlined word. On Macintosh you can control-click on an underlined word.)

Modifying the Spell Checker Options

Windows: Go to the Tools menu, choose Options, then click the Spell Checking icon in the scroll box on the left.

Macintosh: Go to the Special menu, choose Settings, then click the Spell Checking icon in the scroll box on the left.

arrow Sign Your Messages

Just as you would sign a handwritten letter, you should sign your e-mail messages with at least your name and e-mail address. Use Eudora's Signatures feature to create several ready-to-go signatures. The Standard signature is what you would use for most messages. You can also create other signatures as needed.

  1. Windows: Go to the Tools menu, choose Signatures. Double-click on Standard in the left window.

    Or, to create a new signature, with your mouse anywhere in the left (Signature) window, right-click, then choose New from the menu that pops up. A dialog box opens, asking you to name the signature. Type a short name and click OK.

    Macintosh: Go to the Window menu, choose Signatures, then double-click on Standard.

    Or, to create a new signature, click the New button in the Signatures window. A new "Untitled" entry appears in the list of signatures. Type a short name and press the return key.

  2. A signature window opens. Type your signature exactly as you want it to appear. Keep it short.

    purple bullet Hints: Leave the first line blank, to separate your signature from the text of your message. Also, use plain text, since some e-mail programs cannot handle text styles (bold, fonts, colors, etc.).

  3. Close the signature window. Eudora will prompt you to save the signature. Click Yes or Save.
  4. When you're writing a message, use the message toolbar's Signature popup to select which signature to use. Eudora will add that signature when your message is sent.

Two Notes about Signatures:
  • You can edit your signature after you select it for a message. If you edit the signature text in the body of the message (which will appear below a division line), you are NOT altering the signature template, only the one that will be sent with the current message.
  • We strongly recommend that you do not use styles (bolding, underlining, colors, or font changes) in your e-mail messages or in your signatures. Not all e-mail systems know how to display them correctly, and your message may be very difficult for the recipient to read.

Signing Your Messages Automatically

To save time and guarantee that you always sign your messages, tell Eudora to automatically add a signature.

As delivered with Bear Access, Eudora on the Macintosh automatically adds your Standard signature to your messages. You can choose another signature if desired. In Windows the default is no signature, but you can choose any one you like.

  1. Windows: Go to Eudora's Tools menu and choose Options. Click the Sending Mail icon in the scroll box on the left.
    Macintosh: Go to Eudora's Special menu and choose Settings. Click the Composing Mail icon in the scroll box on the left.
  2. Find the Default Signature (Windows) or Signature (Macintosh) line. In the drop-down menu next to it, select which signature Eudora should use. The signature you select should be appropriate for any message. Click OK.
You can change to any signature for a particular message: choose the desired signature from the message toolbar's Signature popup. You can also choose "None" to have no signature appear.

arrow Create Nicknames

Eudora lets you create nicknames for people's e-mail addresses, so you don't have to memorize them. Nicknames are also convenient for sending messages to small groups of people.

  1. Open any mailbox that contains a message to or from the person or people for whom you want to create a nickname. Select the desired message. (If the message is already open, skip this step.) If you don't have such a message, see "Modifying Nicknames," below.

    CAUTION! Double-check to whom the selected message is addressed. A nickname created this way will contain the addresses of everyone listed in the To:, Cc:, and Bcc: fields.

  2. Go to the Special menu and choose Make Address Book Entry.
     
  3. A New Nickname dialog box opens. Type a nickname (for example, Ezra.E or Friends). Spaces are not allowed: use a period or underscore (_) instead.
    1. To make the nickname appear on your recipient list, check the box next to "Put it on the recipient list." If you don't check this box, you can use the nickname by typing it.
    2. Choose where to store your nickname. "Eudora Nicknames" is chosen automatically. To set up other files, see "Create a new nickname," below.
    3. Click OK.

  4. To use nicknames when you address mail, either use the recipient list, or open a new message window and type the nickname in the message's To:, Cc:, or Bcc: fields.

What is the Recipient List?

It's a shortcut for addressing messages. All of the nicknames on your recipient list appear in Eudora's Message menu, under the New Message To, Forward To, and Redirect To submenus. Use these submenus to automatically address your messages.

Modifying Nicknames

You can change a nickname you have already created, or create new nicknames. Click the Address Book button on Eudora's main Toolbar, or select Address Book from the Tools menu (in Windows) or the Window menu (on Macintosh). A dialog box opens. Choose the desired nickname from the list on the left, then edit the fields on the right; several examples are given below. When you have finished editing the nickname, close the Address Book window. Eudora will prompt you to save the nicknames. Click Yes or Save.

  • Create a new nickname: Click the New button at the bottom of the address book window. In the blank Personal tab that appears, type in at least a nickname (spaces are not allowed) and an address. The other fields are optional.

  • Change the name of the nickname: Go the Nickname: field and type the new nickname.

  • Change whether the nickname appears on your recipient list: Use the Recipient List check box.

  • Change e-mail addresses: Make your edits in the large box following "This nickname will expand to the following address(es.)"
  • If the nickname is for one person, type the new e-mail address (for example, ewe2@cornell.edu).
  • If the nickname is for a group of people (for example, Reviewers), type all the e-mail addresses. Press the Return or Enter key after each e-mail address.

Hint: Instead of e-mail addresses, you can type other nicknames you have already created.

  • Change what the recipients see: On the Personal tab, edit the Full Name field.
  • If the nickname is for one person, type the person's real name in the Full Name field (for example, Ezra W. End). When you address a message using the nickname, this name will be displayed. This lets you chose whether the recipient will see "Professor End" or "Grandpa Ezra."
  • If the nickname is for a group of people (for example, Reviewers), leave these fields blank if you want all the e-mail addresses to show when you address a message using the nickname. If you don't want the addresses to show (and if there are a lot of people listed in one nickname, you probably DON'T want to show all the addresses), type a name for the group in the Full Name field; that name will be displayed instead.
  • Add the postal address, phone, fax, and other notes: If desired, fill in the fields on the Home, Work, Other, and Notes tabs. This information is for your convenience only. Eudora does not use it.

 

 Auto-Completion of Addresses

Eudora's "Auto-Completion" feature gives you another reason to create nicknames. Eudora will try to guess which nickname you want as soon as you start typing in the To:, Cc:, or Bcc: field -- saving you time and typing effort.

This feature will also try to complete addresses using your history file, which contains addresses to which you've sent e-mail (including mail you forwarded or replied to). If multiple matches are found, Eudora displays your choices in a drop-down menu.

To turn off or modify how the auto-completion feature works, in Windows, go to Eudora's Tools menu, choose Options, click the Auto-Completion icon. On Macintosh, go to the Special menu, choose Settings, click the Composing Mail icon, and uncheck the box next to "Auto-complete nicknames."

 

arrow Queue Your Mail: Write Now, Send Later

When you are using Eudora with a modem connection, you'll probably want to use Eudora's Queue feature. Instead of sending your outgoing e-mail messages instantly, Eudora holds them in the Out mailbox until it checks for new mail, or you tell Eudora to send those messages. You can even tell Eudora exactly when to send a message. Queueing messages is also useful if you like to give yourself some time to think about the content and wording of your messages before you send them.

Find out more about using Eudora with a modem connection.

Creating Queued Messages

  1. In Windows, go the Tools menu and choose Options. On Macintosh, go to the Special menu and choose Settings.
  2. In the scroll box on the left, click the Sending Mail icon.
  3. Uncheck the box next to Immediate Send. Click OK.
  4. Start a new message. Instead of a Send button in the new message window, there is now a Queue button.
  5. The steps you take when you're finished typing your message are quite diffferent on Windows and Macintosh.

    Windows: Save your message (under the File menu), which places it in your Out mailbox, marked with a bullet. Then go to your Out mailbox, select the message, and from the Message menu, choose Change Queueing.

    Macintosh: With your completed message still open, from the Message menu, choose Change Queueing.

    On either platform you can also simply click the Queue button, but since Eudora, by default, sends all queued messages when it checks for incoming messages, you run the risk of that happening right away (or before you're ready).

  6. You can now (on either platform) tell Eudora to
  • send the message right away
  • send it at a particular date or time (If Eudora is not running then, the message will be sent the next time Eudora is connected to the network.)
  • never send it
  • send it the next time queued messages are sent (see Sending Queued Messages below)

Sending Queued Messages

  1. Connect to the network.
  2. Go to the File menu and choose Send Queued Messages. All of your queued messages will be sent immediately.

Alternatively, click the Check Mail button. As delivered with Bear Access, Eudora will automatically send messages, including queued messages, when it checks for mail.

  • Any messages for which you've set a specific delivery date and time will not be sent immediately using either of these methods; they will continue to wait for the time you specified.

  • If you don't want Eudora to send queued messages when it checks for mail, in Windows, go to the Tools menu and choose Options. On Macintosh, go to the Special menu and choose Settings. In the scroll box on the left, click the Sending Mail icon. Uncheck the "Send on check" option. Click OK.

 

Eudora home page | Receiving | Writing | Deleting | Organizing your e-mail
Working with attachments | Working with filters | Using Kerberos with Eudora
Obtaining Eudora Manuals | Help with Windows Eudora | Help with Macintosh Eudora
Setting up Eudora ... on your own computer ... for multiple users ... for a special mailbox

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Last modified: May 24, 2007