The following capability has been added to WebMail since the publication of the printed version of the WebMail User's Guide:
This guide is written for people who will be accessing their e-mail through WebMail. It assumes that you know how to use your Web browser (for example, Netscape, Mosaic, or Internet Explorer) and are familiar with the Internet and the World Wide Web.
The person who will install and maintain the WebMail Server should refer to the WebMail Administrator's Guide for information.
WebMail is the ideal solution for people who need a versatile way to access their e-mail remotely. If your workplace has installed a WebMail Server and you use a supported e-mail system, you can read, respond to, and manage your e-mail from any computer that has a Web browser and access to the Internet.
Many Web browsers let you send e-mail; some have limited capabilities for receiving e-mail. However, none of these provide users with ready access to their office e-mail system. To read and manage your e-mail remotely with these browsers, you had to purchase and install a dedicated e-mail system. Now, WebMail lets you read, manage, and create messages from within your Web browser without a dedicated e-mail application on your remote computer.
You can use WebMail from any computer that has a Web browser and access to the Internet. For example, if you had an Apple Macintosh computer at home with a Netscape Web browser and a connection to the Internet, you could read and reply to your office e-mail from home. If you went to a client's office with UNIX-based computers, Internet access, and Mosaic, you could read and respond to your e-mail from your client's office. Because WebMail accesses your e-mail mailbox at work, your remote e-mail activities (reading messages, deleting messages, creating messages, etc.) would be reflected when you return to your office.
WebMail is easy to use. From your Web browser, you simply enter the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of your WebMail server the same way you retrieve any Web page. WebMail displays its Log In screen. From there, using WebMail is similar to using your e-mail system at work.
Release 3.0 of WebMail supports the following e-mail systems:
Future releases of WebMail may support additional e-mail interfaces.
WebMail works with all of the major graphical Web browsers. However, some Web browsers have more features and are more robust than others.
If you have a problem with WebMail that you cannot resolve, read Troubleshooting . If you still can't resolve the problem, we recommend talking to your WebMail administrator. If he/she cannot help you, please contact your reseller. Before you contact them, try to reproduce the problem and note all of the steps that led up to the problem. Be prepared to provide the following information:
If you cannot contact your reseller, contact Infinite Technologies' Technical Support. Both 30-day evaluation products and purchased products are serviced by our responsive Technical Support Representatives, who will answer your questions about our products. You may contact them via telephone, fax, or the Internet.
Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time
410-363-9453
410-363-0846 or 410-363-3779
SUPPORT@INFINITE.IHUB.COM
Some common WebMail problems and their solutions are listed below.
Some Web browsers display information that is presented in a table incorrectly. Do the following to compensate for this:
Some Web browsers, including Netscape Navigator, will update your list whenever you return to it. If your list is not updated, make sure that your Web browser is set to check the network for document revisions every time that you request a page. (If you are using Netscape version 3.0, select Network Preferences from the Options menu. From the Cache tab, select Verify Documents: Every Time.) Some Web browsers do not check the network for document changes at all. If your Web browser does not support updating, have your WebMail administrator configure your Web browser. He/she should set the Browser Supports "If-Modified-Since" Keyword option to No. (Information about configuring Web browsers is presented in "Configuring Web Browsers" in Chapter 4 of the WebMail Administrator's Guide.)
When WebMail retrieves a message or a dialog box that it hasn't displayed during this session, it retrieves all of the text and the graphics from your WebMail Server and loads them into its cache (temporary storage) on your computer. If you display that dialog box again, it will display quickly because all of the graphics are stored on your computer.
If you create a draft in WebMail, you will be able to access it when you use WebMail but not when you use your office e-mail system.
Similarly, if you create a draft in your office e-mail system, you will not be able to access it using WebMail.
If your office e-mail system is DaVinci e-mail or BeyondMail, or if you use the Microsoft Exchange client to access a Microsoft Mail post office, WebMail retrieves only those messages that have not been retrieved by your office e-mail system.
Caution: Only a knowledgeable WebMail administrator should use the following procedure.
If your office e-mail system is ExpressIT!, your WebMail administrator should do the following:
MHS\MAIL\USERS\username\EXMBOX
ExpressIT! uses this directory when EXMBOX=ALT is set in the environment. When WebMail uses the EXP interface, WebMail first searches for MAIL.DAT in this directory. If it is found, WebMail uses EXMBOX instead of the SYS:MAIL, which is the default directory for ExpressIT! If you are not using the EXMBOX directory for ExpressIT!, then delete this directory. WebMail will default back to the user's mailbox in the SYS:MAIL directory.
If you are using Microsoft Mail version 3.1 or 3.2, follow this procedure so that you can view both new and old messages in WebMail. (If you don't set the options described below, WebMail will access your new mail only.) Once you save these options, you will not have to set them again.
For more information, refer to your Microsoft Mail documentation.
WebMail provides the tools that you will need to create, send, receive, and manage e-mail messages. We recommend that you use WebMail's tools rather than your Web browser's tools during a WebMail session.
For example, if you were viewing your Messages list and wanted to update your list to reflect any changes, you would use WebMail's Update button rather than the refresh or reload option of your Web browser.
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To view information about the options on your current WebMail dialog box, use the Help button. The Help button displays the document that you are now viewing--the WebMail User's Guide. To move around in the WebMail User's Guide, use the scroll mechanism in your Web browser or click on a highlighted topic to view a discussion of the topic. A Table of Contents is located at the beginning of this Help file. To print the online version of the WebMail User's Guide, use the print function of your Web browser.
After you log on, WebMail displays the Messages dialog box, which lists your messages, allows you to view your messages, and allows you to create new messages. If your office e-mail system is DaVinci e-mail or BeyondMail, or if you use the Microsoft Exchange client to access a Microsoft mail post office, WebMail can retrieve only new mail; it cannot access mail that your e-mail system has already retrieved.
Another way to list your messages during your WebMail session is by using the Index button, which appears on many WebMail dialogs.
The first time that you bring up a page of information (a dialog box or a message) during a WebMail session, WebMail retrieves all of the page's elements from your WebMail Server and temporarily stores them on your computer. This temporary storage is called a cache. Because WebMail transfers this information from your WebMail Server, there is usually a small delay before the page displays. The next time you request this page, it will take less time to display because WebMail will retrieve many of the page's elements from its cache rather than from your WebMail Server.
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Because new messages can arrive at your mailbox while you are viewing the message list, you can use the Check button on the Messages dialog box to refresh your list while you are viewing it.
Some Web browsers, including Netscape Navigator, will update your list whenever you return to it. If your list is not updated, make sure that your Web browser is set to check the network for document revisions every time that you request a page. (If you are using Netscape version 3.0, select Network Preferences from the Options menu. From the Cachetab, select Verify Documents: Every Time.) Some Web browsers do not check the network for document changes at all. If your Web browser does not support updating, have your WebMail administrator configure your Web browser. He/she should set the Browser Supports "If-Modified-Since" Keyword option to No. (Information about configuring Web browsers is presented in "Configuring Web Browsers" in Chapter 4 of the WebMail Administrator's Guide.)
By default, the Messages dialog box lists the messages in your current folder in the following order:
Within each category, WebMail lists messages in the order in which you received them. To change the order in which messages appear, click on a column heading by which you want to sort your messages. For example, if you want messages sorted by subject, you would click on the Subject column heading.
To scroll up or down through your list of messages, use the vertical scroll bar on the side of the window.
If you have a large number of messages, WebMail divides your messages into pages and delivers your messages one page at a time. To view the next page of messages, use the scroll down button. After you use the scroll down button, you can use the scroll up button to return to the previous page.
Note that you can change the number of messages that WebMail displays on a page. Refer to Customizing WebMail .
Status indicators, which appear in the status column of your message list and in the status field on messages that you are viewing, tell you whether the message is new, urgent, a draft, or contains attachments. Following is a description of the status indicators that display if they are supported by your e-mail system.
| Highlighted in yellow. | Urgent. Either you or the person to whom you sent the message marked the message as urgent. |
 | If you are using a template other than the DEFAULT or DEFAULTS template, WebMail displays a graphic to indicate that the message is urgent. |
 | New. If you are in preview mode, WebMail regards a message as new until you reply to it, forward it, or file it. Otherwise, WebMail marks the message as read when you open it. Preview mode is an option available on the Change Options dialog box. It allows you to read your messages without marking them as read. |
 | Read. You have read this message. |
 | Attachment. The message has one or more files attached to it. |
 | Draft. You saved this message as a draft and did not complete it or send the current version. |
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If your e-mail system supports folders, your e-mail messages are stored in folders. Folders are storage areas in which you can group and store e-mail messages that are alike in some way. They allow you to access and organize your messages easily. For example, ExpressIT! maintains a number of folders. The OUTBOX folder contains messages that you have sent. The DELETED folder stores messages that you have deleted. Note thatWebMail does not support folders in Microsoft Mail and some POP3 configurations.
To list the messages that are stored in a folder other than your current folder, select a folder from the pull-down list on the status bar of the Messages dialog box and use the Go! button. WebMail displays the messages in the folder that you selected.
To create a new folder, follow this procedure:
Follow this procedure to delete an existing folder and all of the messages in it.
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WebMail provides a sophisticated but easy-to-use search tool that allows you to list the messages that contain specific text and/or are from a specific person. You could, for example, list all of your messages that contained the word violin that you received from your correspondent Antonio.
The procedure that follows tells you how to search for e-mail messages.
Follow this procedure to print a WebMail message.
To view a message, from the Messages dialog box, click on the name in the From column of the message that you want to view. WebMail displays the Read Message dialog box , which shows the message that you selected.
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To view the next message in your current folder, use the Next button.
To view the previous message in your current folder, use the Previous button.
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To return to the Messages dialog box, use the Index button or the X at the top right corner of the screen.
Some e-mail messages contain the locations of other electronic pages on the World Wide Web. When a message contains a location (URL), WebMail underlines and highlights the location. To go to the location specified, just click on the link. Your Web browser brings you that page of information. To return to WebMail, use the function of your Web browser that returns you to the previous page.
WebMail recognizes URLs that begin with the following characters:
When a message has one or more files attached to it, WebMail displays the Attachment status icon on both the Messages list and on the message itself.
To view the attachment, click on the name of the attachment. Your Web browser will do one of the following:
Web browsers come with a number of configured helper applications. To learn how to configure additional helper applications, refer to your Web browser's user guide.
If you have problems launching the appropriate application, tell your WebMail administrator. He/she can configure the file extension mappings from within the Web browser.
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The Status line on the Read Message dialog box tells you whether your message is urgent or new, or if it contains attachments. WebMail allows you to change the urgent status and/or the new status of a message so that you can prioritize your messages.
To change the status of a message:
When you read a message in WebMail, you can add the sender of that message to your personal address book. Use the Add to Address Book button on the read message dialog box. WebMail adds the sender of the message that you are reading to your personal address book.
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To send a reply to the sender of a message that you are viewing, use the Reply button. Or, to send a reply to the message sender and all of the original message recipients, use the Reply All button.
WebMail redisplays the original message with greater than signs (>) in front of the original message's lines and addresses the reply to the message's originator. If you selected Reply All, WebMail also includes the addresses of all the original recipients. Type your reply as you would when you create a message. All of the options that are available when you create a message are also available when you reply to a message. For information on the options available, refer to Creating Messages .
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To forward the message that you are viewing, use the Forward button. WebMail redisplays the original message with greater than signs (>) in front of the original message's lines and clears the address boxes. Address the message to the recipient(s) and type any comments that you want to add.
All of the options that are available when you create a message are also available when you forward a message. For more information on the options available, refer to Creating Messages .
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If your e-mail system supports the use of folders, we recommend that you organize the messages that you want to save by filing them into a system of folders. This enables you to locate messages easily in the future. The procedure that follows tells you how to file the current message in a folder other than the current one.
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The procedure that follows describes how to create a new e-mail message.
If your Web browser does not support word wrap, you will have to use the Enter or Return key at the end of each line to start a new line. (Word wrap is a process that automatically formats text.)
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To select recipients from an address book:
WebMail provides access to the personal address books of most compatible e-mail systems. If WebMail cannot access a personal address book, or if you are using WebMail as your primary mail server, WebMail creates a personal address book for you.
WebMail lets you add addresses to your personal address book. The personal address book lets you store frequently used e-mail addresses.
If WebMail can access the personal address book for your e-mail system, you can modiify that personal address book through the WebMail interface. If WebMail cannot access a personal address book, or if you are using WebMail as your primary mail server, WebMail creates a personal address book for you. Use the procedure that follows to add or modify a personal address book entry.
To delete a personal address book entry, highlight the entry that you want to delete and use the DEL button.
If you often send mail to a particular group of users, you can
define that group of users as a
Use the procedure that follows to create and send messages to a personal
distribution list.
WebMail provides a spell check tool that verifies the spelling
of the words in your message. If a word is not located in its
dictionary, WebMail allows you to correct the error or add that
word to the dictionary.
NOTE: If your message is written in a language other than English,
the spell check tool will not work.
To check the spelling of a message, select the Spell button
in the Create Message dialog box. WebMail checks the spelling
of the words in your message and displays the Spell Check Message
dialog box. If there are no misspellings, WebMail displays the
message:
No Misspellings were found.
Use the Return to Message button.
If one or more words are not found in the dictionary, WebMail
displays your message and highlights those words that it suspects
are not correct.
Use the instructions that follow to correct your spelling errors.
In the Go to box, click on Next Word.
In the Go to box, click on Message.
In the Action box, select the Add "word"
to Dictionary button.
When you use the spell check tool in the future, WebMail will
not identify words that you add to the dictionary as misspelled.
It is a good idea to add such items as frequently used names,
acronyms, and abbreviations to the dictionary.
Use the Save Changes button.
WebMail displays your message, which will reflect any changes
that you made.
WebMail allows you to include references to other Internet locations
(URLs) in your messages. If the person who receives your message
is using WebMail, these locations will be highlighted. The person
will be able to click on the highlighted text to go to that location.
WebMail recognizes URLs that begin with the following characters:
(where mailto: is followed by an Internet address in the
format: mailid@host.ext)
If you are using a Web browser that supports attaching files to
mail messages, you can send files along with your WebMail messages.
In technical terms, your Web browser must support HTTP File Upload.
If your Web browser has this capability, the Attach button
displays on the Create Message dialog box.
Note that your WebMail administrator must configure your Web browser on the WebMail server.
He/she must set the "Browser Supports HTTP File Upload" option to Yes.
The procedure that follows tells you how to attach files to your current WebMail message.
WebMail allows you to customize the look of your messages, the
WebMail dialog boxes, and the way that WebMail stores messages.
The procedure that follows tells you how to customize WebMail.
If your office e-mail supports message header display, select
this option to display message header information at the beginning
of each message that you view. Message headers include such items
as the originator's address, the recipient's address, the date
sent, and message handling information.
Select this option so that WebMail displays the messages that
you receive in Monospaced type. When you use Monospaced type,
the characters are all the same width. If the messages that you
view frequently contain tables created in ASCII format, you may
want to select this option. Because Monospaced type is not attractive,
we do not recommend this setting for normal use.
If preview mode is off, WebMail marks a new message as
read when you open it. If you select preview mode, WebMail regards
a message as new until you reply to it, forward it, or file it.
Preview mode allows you to read your messages without marking
them as read.
Select this option to have WebMail select the Add Signature
box on the Create Message dialog box by default.
When you delete a message from a WebMail folder, WebMail moves
that message to a DELETED folder. This option determines the maximum
number of deleted messages that WebMail will store in your DELETED
folder. To disable the use of the DELETED folder, type 0 (zero).
Note that any messages that WebMail deletes from the DELETED folder
will also be deleted from your office e-mail DELETED folder.
When you send a message, WebMail stores a copy of the message
in your OUTBOX folder. This option determines the number of days
that WebMail will store a copy of a message in the OUTBOX folder
after you send it. Type the number of days that you want to retain
messages in the OUTBOX folder. To disable the use of the OUTBOX folder,
type 0 (zero).
Note that any messages that WebMail deletes from the OUTBOX folder
will also be deleted from your office e-mail OUTBOX folder.
When you use the Index button or when the Messages dialog
box displays, WebMail downloads information about each message
from your WebMail Server to build the list of messages. This setting
controls the number of messages that WebMail transfers at a time
and displays on one page. To speed the display of the list, you
can decrease the number of messages that WebMail retrieves when
it builds the list.
To change the appearance of your WebMail dialog boxes, select
a template from the pull-down list. This list will include those
templates that are provided with WebMail and any custom templates
that were created within your organization. Note that your WebMail
administrator can limit the templates that you can access. WebMail
provides the following templates:
BIG - displays a larger version of WebMail's buttons and
graphics than the DEFAULT template.
DEFAULT - provides a comfortable viewing screen in most
Web browsers.
DEFAULTS - displays a smaller version of the DEFAULT template.
NONTABLE - If your WebMail pages do not look quite right,
it may be because your Web browser does not support web page tables.
To compensate, select this template.
SMALL - has smaller buttons and graphics than the default
template.
SMALL_NT - displays a smaller version of WebMail buttons
and graphics in a format useful if your Web browser does not display
tables correctly.
TEXTONLY - substitutes words for the pictures on other templates.
TINY - has very small buttons and graphics.
TINY_NT - has very small buttons and is appropriate if the Web
browser that you are configuring does not display tables correctly.
After you change the template, you might have to use the refresh
or reload function of your Web browser to redisplay the screen
correctly.
From WebMail's Messages dialog box, use the Log Out or X button.
WebMail logs you out and displays the WebMail Log In dialog box.
From there you can use your Web browser to explore the World Wide
Web or exit from your Web browser.
Checking the
Spelling of a Message
Correct a highlighted word:
View the next misspelled word
View the message containing the highlighted words
Add an unrecognized word to the dictionary
Save any changes that you made and return to the Read Message
dialog box
Including References to Other
Internet Locations
Including File Attachments
Customizing
WebMail
Show Message Headers in body of Message
Use Monospaced Font for Message Text
Read Messages in Preview Mode
Add Signature
Maximum Number of Messages to Retain in Deleted Messages Folder
Number of Days to Retain Messages in Outbox folder
Maximum Number of Messages to Transfer per Page
Template
Ending your WebMail Session
