1. Understanding IMAP

From the early 90s through now (2001), the standard method of getting email from Panix has been POP, which stands for Post Office Protocol. It works like a PO box; your mail sits on the server waiting for you to come get it, and then when you get it, you take it out of the server's "POP box" and bring it "home" to your own computer.

(This means that you can't look at your mail from two different computers without making special arrangements.)

IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol, in case you're curious) was designed with multiple-computer owners and Internet cafes in mind. IMAP works more like a voicemail system; your messages normally stay on the mail server even when you save them.

This means you don't have to download all of your incoming mail before reading one item; it also means that you can access your "Inbox" from wherever you are, and it'll still contain all the mail you've saved. (No more cursing at your mail being all on your computer at home when you need it at a hotel in Chicago.)

2. Getting, Saving, and Deleting Messages in IMAP

When you "get mail" via IMAP, your Inbox display will be updated to show the current contents of your Inbox. (New mail will be added, mail that you've deleted from elsewhere will disappear.) While you're online, you can delete mail, save it to other folders, reply, forward, etc..

If you "get mail" and then go offline, your computer will store a "snapshot" of your inbox, which means you'll be able to read it offline. However, your real inbox remains online, and you'll be unable to make any changes (like deleting messages) until you get back online and "get mail" again.

IMAP lets you "save off" messages in two ways: online or local. Online mailboxes show up as sub-folders of your account's Inbox; local mailboxes are listed separately.

Another nice thing about IMAP is that you can "nest" your mail folders; in other words, you can create folders inside other folders.

Deleting mail from your inbox deletes it from the server. If you access your inbox via Pine or something, and delete mail from there, the next time you open Netscape or Outlook those deleted messages will disappear from there too.

This is why local mailboxes are important. You only get a limited amount of server space for mail; if you want to keep a library of old love letters and business correspondence, you should save it on your own computer (locally) to keep your disk usage on Panix down. To save a message locally, usually you just have to drag the message to a local folder.

3. Using IMAP with a Few Popular Email Programs

• Outlook Express: (for Windows; Mac version may be different)

  Local folders are in a section called, strangely enough, "Local Folders". Each IMAP account you have set up should also have its own section, with the Inbox and your online folders under it.

  To create a new folder, simply right-click on the folder you want it to go under, and select 'New Folder...'. Type a name for the new folder, and it will appear.

  Moving mail items to a different folder should be pretty self-explanatory; just drag the email from one folder to another.

• Netscape Messenger: (also, for Windows; Mac may be different)

  Local folders are in the "Local Mail" section. Online inboxes and folders are organized by incoming mail server, not user ID. Netscape doesn't let you create multiple mail accounts that use the same server, but that shouldn't be a problem for most people.

  Creating new folders is easy; just right-click on the folder you want it under, and select 'New Subfolder...'. Moving mail to another folder is, again, self-explanatory; a simple drag-and-drop will do the job.

• Eudora: (for Windows; Mac may be different)

  Eudora, much to our chagrin, has a few flaws when dealing with IMAP mail. It has some trouble reading nested folders (folders placed inside other folders) created by other mail programs. If you have a nested folder that Eudora isn't seeing, just create another folder inside the same main folder, and Eudora will be able to see them both.

  It's also got an annoying habit of keeping every folder you've accessed open, even after you've moved on to other folders. On the other hand, some may find this a desirable feature.

  You can create multiple accounts in Eudora; they're called "personalities". Each personality has its own section in the folder list, with its own Inbox and folders under it.

  Double-clicking a folder will open it and check for new messages in it. If a folder is already open, there will be a button near the bottom of your Eudora window with the mailbox name and personality name. (Your primary personality is called "Dominant".)

  Creating new folders in Eudora requires an extra step, but is still pretty easy: right-click on the folder where you want it to go, select "New...", then give the new folder a name and check the box marked "Make it a folder". Then click 'OK' to create it.

  Moving mail to other folders is a simple drag-and-drop operation.

APPENDIX: Be careful what you trash!

You might be aware of our "snapshot" system of file backups; since POP mail is stored on the shell servers, POP mail that's deleted by accident can sometimes be retrieved from snapshot. However, IMAP mail is stored on a separate server, and is saved in a way that doesn't let you get it back from snapshot easily. Intervention by one of our admins is needed to retrieve deleted IMAP mail. So please be careful what you delete.

We highly recommend saving any important email to your own hard drive ("Local folders"), or even keeping a copy in both places if it's really important. And naturally, you should back up your important files on the hard drive frequently; but that goes without saying.

That's all!

[ Panix Home ] [ Panix Help System Index ] [ Top of This Page ]