Comments on: How to Set Up Message Filters In Thunderbird

By: Tom Markham

Tom Markham — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:20:47 +0000

I avoid nearly all the unwanted email by first using JBmail, a free server connection. This way I’ve eliminated any fear of an unwanted email arriving in TBird. Then I apply filters to get the wanted ones into their appropriate folders.
This begs the question: why can’t TB offer the same service as JB Mail? This would be the ideal solution to eliminating idiocy without having to open two separate programs.

By: Diabolic Preacher

Diabolic Preacher — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:16:39 +0000

can’t filter on body content with IMAP accounts

By: Tina

Tina — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 11:47:04 +0000

Hello Matthew,
if there is an unread message somewhere deep in the folder structure, the top unfolded folder name becomes bold. So in order to find that new message just follow down all folders with a bold name.
I agree that it’s not very convenient, though. But on the other hand I prefer my mail program to receive and sort messages in the background without bothering me.

By: Matthew Pollock

Matthew Pollock — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:42:00 +0000

Also, Thunderbird still lacks the ability to filter outgoing messages.

Without outgoing filters, there’s really not much point in setting up a filtering system, since if you want a comprehensive record of your interaction with anyone, you’ve got to go through all the hassle, which filters are designed to avoid, of moving mails to particular folders.

Moving messages however is MUCH more painful in Thunderbird than in Eudora (whose better filtering made it anyway largely unnecessary).

Outgoing filters were promised by the Thunderbird team 3 years ago.

As is fairly well known, however, work on Thunderbird’s development has now largely stopped.

The Thunderbird forums are dead. Posts are never answered by anyone responsible – which suggests that no one IS any longer responsible, and that the project is pretty much dead, except for the face-saving PR of new releases, which update almost nothing.

By: Matthew Pollock

Matthew Pollock — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 10:25:38 +0000

Thanks for this. But its doesn’t solve a key problem. In Eudora, any folders with a new message open a new window, alerting you: There’s a new message!

Can this be made to happen in Thunderbird? If not, the message arrives, is filtered to somewhere deep in your folder structure, and you never get to see it.

A pretty big problem.

By: Kidguru

Kidguru — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 00:35:57 +0000

Great post helped alot!