Netscape Messenger must be properly configured before you can access your e-mail account. Willamette Users who are setting up Netscape Communicator without the assistance of WITS should create a user profile first (see Netscape Communicator User Profile), then check all of the settings listed in Configuring Netscape Messenger. For additional information, choose Help from the menu.

Different versions of Netscape may use slightly different terminology for commands and settings in the dialog boxes. These instructions are for Netscape Communicator 4.8 for Windows.

Start Netscape Communicator, then choose Communicator > Messenger from the menu or click on Inbox on the Component Bar, which usually appears in the lower-right corner of the Netscape window.

The first time you start Messenger, you may be asked about "subscribing to folders." Click OK to continue (you'll be setup with your Inbox and other default mail folders). If you are converting to Messenger from Pine, and Messenger is properly configured, all of the folders you created in Pine will appear in the left windowpane.

The basics of using Messenger will be obvious to experienced email users. The Message toolbar at the top of the screen has buttons for common commands. Use the pull-down menus to access all commands.

Resize the windowpanes by dragging the "window shade" handles on the borders that separate the windowpanes. Resize the whole window by dragging the lower-right corner.

You can check for new mail at any time by clicking the Get Msg button. Select servers and folders in the left windowpane. Inbox is your incoming e-mail. Select messages in the upper windowpane. Unread messages are indicated with bold type. Messages with attachments will show an envelope with a paper clip after the message has been read. The selected message appears in the lower windowpane. If you double-click a message, it appears in a new window. Reply and Forward by selecting a message, then clicking the appropriate button. Delete the current message by clicking the Delete button on the Message toolbar or by pressing the delete key on the keyboard. To select multiple messages for deletion: While viewing the list of messages, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or the Command key (Macintosh), then click on the messages you want to delete. Once you have selected the messages to delete, click on the Delete button or press the delete key.

Click on the arrows in the upper right pane (under the Netscape logo) to see more columns (Subject, Sender, etc.); rearrange the columns by dragging them; resize the columns by dragging the column borders. Some columns may not be visible; scroll the column list by clicking the arrows on the right side of this pane. Click on any column heading to sort messages. Click on the Thread button (shown to the left of Subject) to group messages by "threading" subjects lines and replies.

Viewing Attachments

Some attachments (web pages, some types of images, or plain text documents) can be viewed in the message window. To view attachments "inline", select View > View Attachments Inline.

Attachments that do not display inline appear as an icon with a link at the bottom of the message window. Click on the link to view or save the attached file. You must have appropriate software installed to view these attachments.

If you have any trouble opening attachments, try downloading the attachment to your hard drive first: Right-click (Windows) or click-and-hold (Macintosh) on the attachment link, then choose the Save As command. Be sure to make a note of where you are saving (or choose a more convenient location). Once you have saved the file, then you can open it with the appropriate software.

WARNING: E-mail attachments can be used to distribute computer viruses via the Internet. Make sure you have up-to-date antivirus software on your computer and do not open or download any suspicious attachment.

To create a new message, click the New Msg button. Enter an address next to the To: button. Press [Enter] to create a blank line for another address. Click on To: to select another addressing method (Cc:. Bcc:, or Reply To:). When you are ready to send the message, click on the Send button.

Attachments are made with the Attach button on the Message toolbar (the file to attach must be stored on a disk to which you have access). Attaching a file will display a screen which looks similar to an Open dialog box. Simply locate the file you want to attach, select it and click on the Open button. The name of the attached file will appear next to the small paper clip in the message header. Click on the Address Message button (above the small paper clip) to return to the screen shown above. There are two ways to “postpone” a message you are composing: Choose File > Save As Draft to save the message in the designated Drafts folder. Later, you can retrieve the message from the Drafts folder and continue. Choose File > Send Later to save the message in the Unsent Messages folder (in the Local Mail area). To send the message, you can open the Unsent Messages folder, then open any of the unsent messages. You can send all unsent mail by choosing File > Send Unsent Messages.

Message Folders By default, you will have Inbox and Trash listed under your mail server name. You may also see Sent, Templates, Drafts, and Unsent Messages (in the Local Mail area). Add new folders by choosing File > New Folder from the menu. Keep folders in your network directory by making them subfolders of your mail server or keep them on your hard drive by making them subfolders of Local Mail. Use the pull-down list under Create as subfolder of: to choose the location for a new folder.

If you want a folder for messages, select Messages Only. If you want a folder to contain only other folders, select Folders Only. To move a message from one folder to another: While viewing the message, click on the File button on the Message toolbar then choose a folder. To select multiple messages for moving to the same folder: While viewing the list of messages, hold down the Ctrl key (Windows) or the Command key (Macintosh), then click on the messages you want to move. Once you have selected the messages to move, click on the File button to choose a folder.

Message Filters
Messenger can filter messages into a folder you designate, based on attributes of the message (Sender, Subject, etc.). To learn about Message Filters, choose Edit > Message Filters from the menu, then click on the Help button.

Search Messages
Messenger can search through all of the messages in any folder for keywords, certain message attributes, or a combination of criteria. To learn more about Search Messages, choose Edit > Search Messages from the menu, then click on the Help button.

1. Choose Edit > Preferences from the menu,.
2. If necessary, expand the Mail & Newsgroups category.
3. Select a Preferences item (e.g., Identity).

For more information on configuring Netscape, refer to Configuring Netscape Messenger.