[comp.mail.elm] Draft Folder

ashley@usage.csd.oz (Ashley Aitken) (03/27/91)

Hello,

I'm one happy Elm user (well despite some compilation problems) and like most
people have an idea for a possible improvement to Elm which I would like to
put up for discussion.

One thing that annoys me with Elm is the way it handles mail that you decide
not to send etc. At present, as I am sure you all know, the mail is kept and
all you can do is use it in your next mail attempt in the same Elm session.

What I propose is a Draft Folder which allows one to keep drafts of mail items
in, edit them, and then finally send them. It could (perhaps) act similarly to
an ordinary folder, except that when you cancel out of a mail operation, for
example, the mail item is automatically put into the Draft Folder. You could 
then go back to the Draft Folder at a later time and use the forward command 
to remail and re-edit the item. The draft folder could also be a place for 
mail items that get misplaced etc.

It seems impossible (but nothings is ...) to do this now since copying a mail
item (ie item currenlty being prepared for mail) to a folder (ie =draft) does
not have any effect if you "forget" the mail item. What is needed is a working
save or copy (with default to the draft folder) in the mail operation menu.

As a companion idea to this I would also like to see Multiple Mail Folders 
being able to be open at once (- I know, "dream on", "write the code matey", 
it is just a suggeston -). By default these could be receivedmail and draft-
mail. I think it would be rather useful to be able to jump back and forward
between a number (ok, a small number) or Mail Folders at the click of a key
(perhaps the + and - key could be reclaimed for this purpose, or how bout >
and <).

So basically I am suggesting

	- Elm Draft Folder ( draftmail = draft )
	- Automatic Filing Of Uncompleted Mailings To Draft Folder
	- Save or Copy (with default to draftmail folder) in Mail Operation

and dreaming of

	- Multiple Mail Folders Open Simultaneously

but really very happy and thankful for what I have got.

What do you all think?

Keep on mailing,
Regards,
Ashley Aitken.

P.S. Happy Easter!