Using Thunderbird

[Nov 21, 2008 9:49] Login issues with the Central Mail Service have now been resolved.

After Thunderbird is installed, configured for use with your email U.Va. account and the settings changed as needed, you are ready to start using Thunderbird. This page will help you select your display configuration and toolbar settings.

The instructions below indicate one way to achieve a result. There may be other ways to accomplish any given task, such as a keyboard shortcut or a right click menu.

Table of Contents

Requirements

  • This document was written for Thunderbird version 1.5. The information herein may (or may not) apply to other versions of Thunderbird.
  • Thunderbird downloaded, installed, and configured to access a U.Va. email account.
  • A live Internet connection via the U.Va. network or an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Display Configuration

When first opening Thunderbird, a three-pane layout appears. The top left pane is the Folder pane, the top right pane is the Message List pane and bottom pane is the Message Preview pane. To see alternate options for displaying your email, click on View on the menu bar and select Layout. By default, the Classic View is set.

The Folder pane contains accounts and folders. Thunderbird will, in default mode, display only subscribed folders. If you have used the Mulberry email program and have some folders to which you are subscribed and some to which you are not subscribed, you may not see all your folders displayed in the Folders pane. To see all your folders, right click on your account name in the left hand pane and choose Subscribe.... Select the folders you would like to view and click OK.

The Message list pane displays the contents of a folder in line item form. Column Headers and Sorting-Column Headers are found on the first line of the Message List pane.

Column Headers

Clicking on a heading changes the way in which messages are sorted. Click once on a column to make that column the priority sort, a second time to reverse the sort order of the column. By default, messages are sorted by Date and the most recent appears first.

  • Message Thread - sort messages by threads.
  • Attachment - sort messages by attachments .
  • Subject - sorts message by subject (alphabetically).
  • Sort - sorts messages by "read or not" status.
  • Sender - sorts messages by sender (alphabetically).
  • Junk Status - sorts by junk status.
  • Date - sorts messages by date.
  • Column Display - drop-down menu to select which columns are displayed.

The Message Preview pane first displays the Thunderbird start page until an email is opened. After you have selected a message, its contents are displayed in the Preview Pane.

To disable the Message Preview pane:

  1. Click on View on the menu bar and select Layout.
  2. The Message Pane option is checked by default. Select Message Pane to deselect.

Toolbars

Thunderbird has three toolbars - the Mail Toolbar, the Search Bar and the Status Bar. To change the display of a toolbar, click on View on the menu bar, select Toolbars and then select/deselect the toolbar(s) you prefer.

Mail Toolbar

Mail Tool Bar

At the top of screen is the Mail toolbar, also known as the "hot bar". Different icons will be available depending on where you are in Thunderbird. For example, if your Inbox is highlighted, all of the icons except for Stop and Delete are active.

  • Get Mail - connects Thunderbird to your mail server and checks for new messages.
  • Write - opens a new window, where you can compose a message, add attachments and send it.
  • Address Book - opens your address book in a separate window.
  • Reply - replies to the sender of the currently selected message.
  • Reply All - replies to ALL the recipients of the currently selected message.
  • Forward - forwards the currently selected message to another person.
  • Delete - deletes the highlighted message(s) by sending it to the Trash folder or marking it for deletion (expunging) based on your account settings.
  • Junk - marks the selected message(s) as junk mail (See Junk Mail in the Thunderbird Features section of this website for more info).
  • Print - opens a dialog box to print the selected message.
  • Stop - causes to halt the process of looking for messages.
Search Bar

Search View BarSearch Subject Sender View Bar

Search Bar - If selected, Search bar appears below the Mail toolbar and above the message list. It contains a View option and a Quick Search option.

The View window filters the content you view in the current folder. The default setting is All. To change how a folder's content is viewed, click on the drop-down arrow and select another option.

The Quick Search allows you to search for messages by selecting the criteria. By default, Subject or Sender is selected. You can change the criteria by clicking on the down arrow next to the magnifying glass icon.

Using the Quick Search window and the View window together will provide a more refined view of a folder's contents.

Status Bar

Status Bar

Status Bar - If selected, the Status bar appears at the bottom of the Thunderbird window. It displays information such as total number of messages in the highlighted folder and number of unread messages.

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