11
Outgoing Mail
Creating and Sending Mail 
In this chapter you will learn:
t	How to create messages.
t	How to edit and format messages.
t	How to include a text file within a message.
t	How to include your Internet signature in a message.
t	How to send a file via the Internet by attaching it to a message.
t	How to send messages.
Composing Messages
With QMC's Message windows, toolbar and icons, the steps to send mail are fairly easy to learn. To compose your messages, you will work in the New Message window, which is shown in figure 38. You can compose messages with QMC while you are offline, reducing the total amount of time you spend online. This is usually the most cost-effective and efficient approach.
To compose and send your first message, you need to create the body of the message and know the Internet address of the intended recipient(s).
To compose a message:
1	Click the Compose button on the toolbar or pull down the Message menu and select Compose.
The New Message window opens and the cursor is in the Address text box. 

The fields in this window are described in Table 3 on page 108.

Figure 38: New Message Window
2	Type the Internet address of the person to whom you are sending the message and click the To button. Remember to type the Internet address exactly as it was given to you; Internet addresses are case-sensitive.
You can also indicate recipients to receive a copy or blind copy of the message by typing the Internet address of each person and clicking on either the cc or Bcc button. 

You can also use the Address Book to address messages.

For more information, see "Addressing Messages with the Address Book" on page 160.
3	Click in the Subject text box, then type the subject of your message.
4	Click below in the message area (the large blank area in the bottom half of the window) and type the body of your message. QMC supports most standard Windows editing keys and the Cut, Copy and Paste commands..

Table 4 on page 109, Table 5 on page 110, and Table 6 on page 111 list all the editing keys and their functions.

You can spell check the text of your message with QMC's spelling checker. Choose Spell Check from the Tools menu to begin checking your message.

For information on the spelling checker's features, see the online help
5		When you finish typing the message, click the Send button in the window or choose Send from the Message menu.
The New Message window closes and the message is placed in the Outbox folder found in the Mail branch of the tree, used by QMC for the storage of outgoing messages. The message will not be sent from the Outbox folder until you choose one of the Send commands from the Connect menu, unless you are already online. It will stay in your Outbox folder even after you quit QMC, if you do not send it.
6		When you are ready to send your messages, choose Send Messages from the Connect menu.
This message and any other messages previously created and in the Outbox are sent.
New Message Window
The New Message window opens whenever you choose Compose, Reply or Forward from the Message menu or toolbar. You will find all the functions and options associated with creating a message in this window.
Table 3 explains the items found in the New Message window.
Table 3: New Message Window Items  
option
description
To
Lets you type the name and Internet address of each recipient. The list below shows the names and Internet addresses of all recipients of the message. If this is a reply to a message, the sender of the original message is entered here. Other recipients may also be entered here automatically if you chose the related option in the Reply dialog box.
Date and Time
The date and time the message was created.
To, cc, Bcc
Designates the name and address currently entered in the To text box as a direct recipient (To), recipient of a carbon copy (cc) or recipient of a blind copy (Bcc) of your message. When you send a blind copy, other recipients of the message do not know that copy was sent.
Address Book
The mailing lists, folders, and newsgroups whose Internet addresses you have entered. You can select from the list when composing and addressing a new message instead of typing names and Internet address in the To text box.
Remove Addressee
Deletes the currently selected recipient from the list box below.
Subject
Lets you type the subject of the message. If this is a reply to a message or a forwarded message, the subject of the original message automatically appears here.
Return Receipt
Requests that a confirmation message be sent to you when this message is received.
Save in Log
Saves a copy of the message in the Message Log folder of the Mail branch.
Use MIME
Applies MIME encoding to message attachments.
Attachments
Opens the Attachments dialog box where you can select one or more files to attach to the message.
Message area
Lets you type the text of the message. The original text may be shown in this area as a quote if this is a reply or forwarded message.
Send
Places a copy of this message in your Outbox folder. If you are currently online, the message is sent from the Outbox folder immediately. If you are currently offline, the message is sent when you choose one of the Send commands from the Connect menu.
Message Editing and Formatting
QMC provides an easy-to-use text editor, that includes standard Windows editing and cursor movement keys, automatic wordwrap, as well as clipboard support and a pop-up menu. You can also insert a text file created in another application into the message body or cut, copy and paste text from other Windows applications.
Editing Text
You can use the keys shown in Table 4 to edit your message while you are typing.
Table 4: Editing Keys  
key
function
Backspace
Deletes character to the left of the cursor
Delete
Deletes character at the cursor
Ctrl + Delete
Deletes text from the cursor to the end of the line
Ctrl + X
Cuts selected text to the clipboard
Ctrl + C
Copies selected text to the clipboard
Ctrl + V
Pastes text from the clipboard to the current cursor location
Selecting Text
You can select text with the mouse by placing the cursor at the starting point, then dragging the cursor to the ending point of the block you wish to select, and releasing the mouse button. Selected text can be copied and moved with the Copy and Paste commands on the Edit menu. You can also delete selected text with the Delete key, or delete it and place it in the Clipboard with the Cut command on the Edit menu. 
The keys shown in Table 5 are also available for selecting text.
Table 5: Selection Keys  
keys
function
Shift + Up or Down Arrow
Selects one line of text up or down from the cursor position
Shift + Right or Left Arrow
Selects the next character of text to the right or left
Shift + PageUp or PageDown
Selects text up or down one window
Shift + Home
Selects text from the cursor to the beginning of the line
Shift + End
Selects text from the cursor to the end of the line
Ctrl + Shift + Home
Selects text from the cursor to the beginning of the document
Ctrl + Shift + End
Selects text from the cursor to the end of the document
Moving the Cursor
You can click the mouse anywhere in the message text to move the cursor. You can also move around with the keys shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Cursor Movement Keys  
keys
function
Up or Down Arrow
Moves cursor up or down one line
Right or Left Arrow
Moves cursor right or left one character
Home
Moves cursor to the beginning of the line
End
Moves cursor to the end of the line
Ctrl + Home
Moves cursor to the beginning of the message
Ctrl + End
Moves cursor to the end of the message
PageUp or PageDown
Moves cursor up or down one window
Formatting Paragraphs
QMC also offers basic paragraph formatting capabilities that automate the process of formatting message text. The Format Paragraph command opens the Format Paragraph dialog box which provides options to modify the spacing, alignment, indentations and tabs of selected paragraphs within the body of a message.
To format paragraphs:
1	Select one or more paragraphs in the body of the message.
If you do not select text, the formatting changes you make are applied to the paragraph containing the cursor.
2	Pull down the Edit menu and select Format Paragraph.
The Format Paragraph dialog box displays.

Figure 39: Paragraph Format Dialog Box
3	Change any of the settings or options in this dialog box. 

The dialog box items are explained in the online help.
4	Choose OK to close the dialog box when you have finished modifying the settings.
The changes you make are applied to the selected paragraphs.
Clipboard Support
Once you have selected a block of text in a message, you can use the Windows standard Cut, Copy and Paste commands on the Edit menu. You can also paste a block of text into another message and mark it as a quote with the Paste As Quote command. Text must first be cut or copied to the clipboard before it can be pasted as a quote.

For information on quotes, see "Inserting a Quote" on page 132.
You can reverse the effects of the last editing action you performed with either Cut, Copy or Paste by choosing the Undo command on the Edit menu. When you use Undo, the text in the clipboard is not removed, but the editing action within your document is reversed. Only one level of Undo is available and Undo must be used immediately after the editing action. 
Inserting a Text File into the Body of a Message
You may find it useful to insert an existing text file in the body of the message. The file must be an ASCII text file, not a word processing file.
To insert a text file into the current message:
1	Position the cursor in the message area of the New Message window, pull down the Edit menu and select Insert Text File.
The Insert Text File dialog box displays.
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Figure 40: Insert Text File Dialog Box
2	Select the file's drive, directory, and filename.
3	Click OK.
The text of the file displays in the message area and you can edit it like any other message text.
Inserting a Signature
Your Internet signature is a unique text string you can automatically include in all your messages. It can include your name, address, telephone number, company information, personal information or any text which you would like to include in the messages you compose. It can be any text string you enter, whether a phrase, favorite quotation, or graphic you create with ASCII characters. You only need to create it once and then you can use it every time you send a message. 
To create a signature:
1	Pull down the Tools menu and select Preferences.
The Options dialog box displays.
2	Click the Message tab.
The message-related options display.
3	Click the Signature button.
The Signature dialog box displays.

Figure 41: Signature Dialog Box
4	Type any text in the text box. Press Enter to move the cursor to the next line and type additional text.
5	Click OK to close the Signature dialog box.
6	Click OK again to close the Preferences dialog box.
Your Internet signature is created and ready to use.
To insert a signature once you have created it:
 u 	Place the cursor in the body of the message where you want the signature to appear and choose Insert Signature from the Edit menu.
Your Internet signature is pasted into the message at the location of the cursor.
You can have QMC automatically paste your signature at the end of every message you compose.
To insert a signature at the end of every message:
1	Pull down the Tools menu and select Preferences.
The Options dialog box displays.
2	Click the Message tab.
The message-related options display on this tab.
3	Select Include Signature at End of Message.
4	Click OK to close the Preferences dialog box.
Attaching/Sending Files
QMC enables you to send existing files via the Internet by attaching them to a message.
To convert a binary file to ASCII, QMC uses a program called uuencode. QMC does this automatically so there are no additional procedures for you to follow in order to send files.

See "File Utilities" on page 183 for information on the uuencode program.

If you are sending a file to someone who needs attachments to be MIME-encoded instead of uuencoded, be sure to check the option "Use MIME" in the New Message window or "Use MIME Encoding When Sending Messages" on the Advanced tab of the Preferences dialog box. America Online requires MIME-encoded attachments, but most other Internet mail readers do not.

For information on MIME encoding and decoding, see the online help.
To compose a new message and attach a file to it:
1	Click the Compose button on the toolbar or pull down the Message menu and select Compose.
The New Message window opens and the cursor is in the To text box.
2	Type the Internet address of the person to whom you are sending the file and press the Enter key.
The name of the person displays in the list box below.
3	Click in the Subject text box and then type the subject of your message.
4	Click the Attachments button.
The Attachments dialog box displays.

Figure 42: Attachments Dialog Box

For detailed information on the Attachments dialog box, see the online help.
5	Click Add in the Attachments list box.
The Add Attachment dialog box displays.

Figure 43: Add Attachment Dialog Box
6	Open the List Type of Files box and choose the type of file you want to attach.
7	Select the drive, directory and filename of the file you want to attach.
8	Click OK to close the Add Attachments dialog box.
The file is attached to the message.
9	Click Close to close the Attachments dialog box.
10	Click in the message area and type any accompanying message.
11	When you finish typing the message, click the Send button on the toolbar or pull down the Message menu and select Send.
The New Message window closes and the message is placed in the Outbox folder. The message is not sent from the Outbox until you choose one of the Send commands from the Connect menu, unless you are already online.
12	Pull down the Connect menu and select Send Messages.
This message and any other messages in the Outbox are sent.
Sending Messages
All the procedures involved in creating mail can be performed offline, when you are not connected to the Internet. This reduces the amount of time you spend online and is usually the most cost-effective and efficient approach. You can create as many messages at one time as you like and place them in your outbox so they can all be sent at once, when you are online, or connected to the Internet. Remember, if you are offline when you use the Send button in the New Message window or the Send command on the Message menu, the message is placed in your Outbox folder until you are online.
To send all the messages in your Outbox:
1	Pull down the Connect menu and select Send Messages.
QMC connects to your SMTP server, sends all the messages in your outbox and then disconnects from that server. The SMTP server is the server which handles outgoing messages.
2	Or, pull down the Connect menu and select Send/Check Mail to send messages in your Outbox and check for new mail at the same time.

The process of going online to receive and read mail is described in the next chapter. For information about checking and reading the news, see Chapter 15 on page 163.
