Webmail: Composing a Message

Composing and sending messages is easy with Webmail. You can also do any of the following:
  • Save a draft of your message
  • Spell check your message
  • Use HTML or Plain Text
  • Include an electronic signature
  • Save a copy of the message
  • Add an attachment, described fully in Adding an Attachment
  • Set a priority

For information on how to use Address Book to find an email address, see Working with Address Book. For information on how to set the width of your compose window, see Setting Preferences.

Important Notes

  • To quickly send a message, open Address Book to the contact that you want to receive the message and click on their email address link.
  • To open the Compose page in a new window, right click on the Compose link and choose Open in New Window. The composition window only (without the links or command menus) opens. Close the window after you click Send.
  • You can use a nickname that is listed in your Address Book in the To, Cc and Bcc fields of your message instead of a fully qualified email address.
  • Separate multiple addresses with commas. Your message will not be sent if you use semicolons (;) to separate addresses instead of commas (,).
  • To use the HTML Text compose feature you must have an Internet Explorer browser more recent than 4.x with JavaScript enabled.

To compose a message:

  1. Select Compose.
    Result: The Compose page displays. For IE 4.x and greater browsers only, if you have enabled the HTML Compose feature on your Preferences page, or clicked the HTML Text button at the lower left of the composition window, the page displays these options at the top of the composition window:
    • Paragraph: Use the drop down list to select from standard HTML paragraph style options including Normal, Headings 1-6, and Preformatted.
    • Font Style: Use the drop down list to select from standard HTML font style options including Arial, Lucida Handwriting, Courier New, and so forth.
    • Size: Use the drop down list to select different font sizes; these are relative to the default size specified in your browser View > Text Size options.
    And these options at the bottom of the composition window:
    • Edit HTML: Use this option to directly work the HTML source of your composition.
    • Plain Text: Use this option to compose in plain text if HTML is your default composition style. If Plain Text is your default composition style, this button reads HTML Text and clicking it allows you to compose in HTML. See Setting Preferences for details on configuring your default composition style.
  2. Enter the following data:
    • To: Enter the email address or the nickname of the person to which you are sending the message; if you enter the nickname of the person, click the Expand button to see the entire name and address. To enter multiple addresses, separate them with a comma. Note: You can click Address Book, select email addresses and specify To, CC, or Bcc; click Back to Compose; and Back to Compose again in the confirmation page; and you are returned to the Compose page with all of the addresses in the fields you specified. Remember to click Save Selection if you want to select addresses across pages.
    • Subject: Enter a summary line. Be as concise as possible; some browsers only display a limited number of characters.
    • Cc: Enter an email address to send a copy to someone else.
    • Bcc: Enter an email address to send a copy without the other addressees seeing the entered address. You can use this line to save copies of your message to specific subfolders of your account.
    Result: The message is fully addressed. Your email address is automatically inserted in the From field of the message when it is sent.
  3. To add your electronic signature at the end of the message, select the Include signature check box. For information on how to create an electronic signature, see Setting Preferences.
    Result: Your defined signature is added to the message you send.
  4. To save a copy of the message for your files when it is sent, leave the Save copy of sent message check box selected (as it is by default). For more information on this option, see Setting Preferences.
    Result: A copy of the sent message is saved.
  5. Enter your text in the composition window. Check for spelling errors in your message by clicking Spelling; for details see Checking for Spelling Errors. You may also want to use these options:
    • Message Charset: A character set for the body of the message that will override the character set specified in your preferences. The character set for your locale is selected by default. For more information, see Setting Preferences.
    • Priority, available options depend on system configuration. Note: Messages can be sorted by Priority. You can choose from:
      • Highest, High, Normal (default), Low, and Lowest. OR
      • High, Normal, and Low.
    • Attachment: Specify a file and click Add. For details see Adding an Attachment.

    Click Send or Save Draft.
    Result: If you click Send, the message and attachments (if any) are sent to the specified recipients with the specified priority. If you click Save Draft, a draft of the message is saved to your Draft folder. Note: By default, Webmail uses the Draft folder. To change this setting, see Setting Preferences.

When you have completed your composition, you can choose between sending the message, saving it as a draft, or canceling the message. For more information, see Sending, Saving, or Canceling a Message.

Last updated: 10/03/06