How to Automatically file your eGroup email messages with Entourage

If you are a member of one or more eGroups, or "mailing lists", you may have wished that your email "InBox" wouldn't get so clogged up with these group messages. You may wish to not see them right now, or wish to see them all together later. Some people are organized enough that they make a new folder in their email application and drag the group emails into it to keep things organized. That's a great idea, but it takes time and life would be simpler if this was automatic. Here's how to do it in Entourage X, but other versions are pretty much the same.

This is what our "InBox" looks like before we get started. Note that the Group messages are mixed in with the other inbox mail.

In Entourage, what we are going to do is called maiking a "Mail Rule", it may be called something else in other programs.


Pull the File menu to "New", then to "Folder".

Or press command shift n

Or command click (right click) the mouse in the folders area.

Give the folder a descriptive name. The eGroup name is probably a good choice.

We will next tell the emails how to jump into this folder bythemselves. First, single-click a group message.

Then pull the Tools Menu to "Rules."

In the Rules Window, click the button for "New"


Give the Mail Rule a descriptive name.
Then set the "Condition" to "Reply to". Note that Entourage auto-magically fills in the group's email address.
Set the "Action" to Move message & choose the folder you want these messages in.
If there are more Conditions or Actions, click them once each & press the "Remove" button.
Save & Close this window. You can always edit it later if you want.



Ok, so if we got everything right, all future eGroup messages with a "Reply-To" address that matches our criteria ought to be automatically filed in the right folder.
But what about all the messages that are already cluttering our email InBox? Let's get those old Group messages into the Group folder right now as well.
Click into the "In Box" and select all messages. You may need to click one message, then choose "Select All" from the Edit menu.
Then, Pull the Message Menu to "Apply Rule", and select the rule we just made.

Pow! All the Group messages are now in their own folder. From now on, they will jump in there themselves.
Notice that when you have new, unread mail in a folder, the folder is BOLD, so you can easily tell without even having to open it.

Hope this helps,

Dave Nathanson
Mac Medix

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