Creating A Mail Rule in Gmail

A. About This Page

• What's a 'Rule': A mail Rule (Gmail calls it a 'Filter'), automatically sorts incoming mail into specified mailboxes.
• This example shows how to create a rule to detect mail with the 'subject tag' [seniornet] , such as might come from a Yahoo group. You can also use rules to look for other criteria, such as coming from a certain sender or a certain domain name.
• Gmail doesn't allow us to create separate mailboxes like we can in Outlook Express, but we can set up a 'Filter' (rule) that will automatically (1) add a 'label' and (2) automatically put the message into the 'All Mail' box which Gmail uses for archiving. This will avoid cluttering your inbox.
• Opinion --

B. Introductory Comments

• Note you also have the option of FORWARDING part of the mail, or all of the mail, to one or more Outlook Express addresses.
• Opinion On Recommended Usage:
  • If you DO have a POP account such as Outlook Express, I would recommend you consider forwarding ALL your Gmail to your POP address -- as described on Page G2 "Fowarding".
    • Then you can set up the rule in your Outlook Express account or whatever program you're using to automatically sort the mail, and you won't have to login to Gmail.
  • Your Gmail address can be your 'public' address, and your POP address can be hidden. Note Gmail identies mail that it forwards, but including in the header a line similar to "Delivered-To: exterminate.all.spammers@gmail.com". If you use Gmail exclusively and don't have a 'POP' account such as Apple Mail or Outlook Express where the mail is downloaded to your computer, then I recommend you set up a filter as decribed below.
  • I would use the procedure on the page, ONLY if you don't use a POP account.

C. Navigate To The 'Filters' Screens

(1) Login to your Gmail account, and click the 'Settings' link.

.

(2) Click the 'Filters' link.

.

(3) Click 'Create a new filter'.

D. Create The Filter

(4) Tell the filter to search for '[seniornet]' in the subject.

In this example, [seniornet] is the 'Subject Tag' that the SeniorNet Yahoo Listserver 'prepends' to the front of the subject line of every message that it sends.

(5) Cleck the 'Next Step' button.

.

(6) Check 'Skip the Inbox'. This is important, as it will prevent incoming messages from cluttering up your inbox.

(7) Cleck 'Apply the label'.

(8). Click the 'Choose Label' button.

(9) Optional - We're not doing it in this example, but note that you have the option of forwarding messages selected by this filter to your Outlook Express address.

.

(10) Click the 'New label' button, since we'll need to create a label.

.

(11) Enter the label name. I used '[seniornet]08' in this example to denote the year 2008, you can modify this label as you like.
((I usually use the brackets "[]" to identify to myself that the mail is from a Yahoo group, since they usually use the brackets in their subject lines, but this isn't necessary.))
(12) Click the 'OK' button.

.

(13) Click the 'Create Filter' button.

.

(14) Observe verification that the filter is now set up.
(15) Note you have the option to bo back and EDIT the filter, or remove it .

E. Test The Filter

(16) Send yourself a test message with '[seniornet]' in the subject line. You can send it from your Gmail address, or better, use your Outlook Express address.

.

(17) Observe that the filter should bypass the inbox, and put the message in the 'All Mail' archive folder.
(18) Observe that the filter should have added the label '[seniornet]08'. ..