Webmail Folders

Webmail Folders

The Four Default Folders
Managing Folders

There are three kinds of folders...

Master folders -- these contain other folders called "Nested folders."
Regular folders -- these contain email (they never contain "Nested folders").
Nested folders -- these are Regular folders that are nested within Master folders.

A folder either contains other folders or email, never both.

Solo Build It!'s folder system works much like the folder hierarchy you're accustomed to using in your usual email software (e.g., Outlook, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, etc.). You can...

create new folders (Regular folders)
create Nested folders (and Nested folders within them)
rename folders
delete folders.

The Four Default Folders

You start with four default folders. You cannot delete or rename these, since the Webmail system needs them to function properly. Here are your default folders...

Inbox

All email addressed to this domain arrives here. It alerts you when it contains unread messages. Click on the Inbox link to read, delete, reply, forward, print, and move messages to other folders, and to download attachments.

Tip

Keep your Inbox clean. Handle-then-move incoming mail. It keeps your work organized.

Drafts

If you create an email message and save it (because you want to either complete or send it later), that email will automatically be saved in the Drafts folder.

To resume work on this email, open the Drafts folder (by clicking on its link). Then click on the link for that email message.

Sent

When you send an email, Webmail automatically stores it in your Sent folder (unless you disable this feature in the Preferences section). Here's how to handle Sent mail...

file the ones you might need to refer to later, in appropriate folders (we'll see how to create new folders below), or...
delete the ones that are insignificant and that you will not need to refer to again in the future, or...
leave a few important ones in the Sent folder, as reminders to you to follow up (a useful tip that keeps things from "falling between the cracks).

Trash

When you delete an email, Webmail automatically stores it in your Trash folder. If you change your mind, you can pull an email out of the Trash and move it elsewhere.

Once it's in the Trash, you can "purge" it to completely delete it. Webmail also periodically purges emails from the Trash (those that are more than 7 days old) to keep your mailbox from overflowing.

Purging is permanent. Once you purge your Trash, it's gone!

Managing Folders

Below the folders themselves, you'll find an area where you manage and organize your folders. You can...

create new folders (Regular or Master/Nested)
rename folders
delete folders

Create New Folders

You can either create a Regular folder (which contains emails) or a Master folder, which contains other folders ("Nested folders" one level deeper).

Plan how you want to organize your email now. It will save "folder re-organization" time later. (More on planning how to structure your folder-filing system after we review the nuts and bolts of managing folders.)

Ready? Let's begin with your first option...

1) Create New Folder

This creates a Regular folder on whatever level you're at. For example, if you're at the level of your "four default folders," it creates a new folder at this level.

To create a new folder, simply enter the name of the new folder and click on the Create button.

You will not be able to create other folders within this folder. If you want to do that, use the Create Master and Nested Folders section.

You can rename or delete this folder. And you can delete email in this folder, or move it from this folder to another one.

Tip

Use this option only if this will be a commonly used folder that's not a sub-category of a broader part of your business, especially if you create it at the same level as your four default folders.

2) Create Master and Nested Folders

A Master folder does not contain email itself. It contains at least one Nested folder to which you can save emails. You create both the Master folder and the first Nested folder at the same time. Here's how...

a) Enter the name of the Master folder.

b) Enter the name of the first Nested folder.

c) Click on the Create button.

When the page refreshes, you'll see the Master folder appear in the list of folders. If you click on the Master folder link, you'll drill down to the first Nested folder.

Tips

You can distinguish Master folders easily. They show a double file icon and three >'s in the left margin, like this...

>>>

A Regular folder is shown like this...
Note that each created folder is a link and has a radio button to the left of it (the four default folders do not have radio buttons)...
- If you want to do something to that folder (i.e., rename or delete it), click on the radio button, and then rename or delete it.
- If you want to do something with that folder (i.e., open it), click on the link.

A Nested folder is a Regular folder that's within a Master folder.

You can create other folders within a Master folder once you've drilled down to the level of the Nested folder, by following the process outlined in the Create New Folder section (i.e., open the Master folder by clicking on its link, then create a Regular folder).

Once you've saved some emails to a Regular folder, you can view them by clicking on the folder link and then by clicking on each email.

You can create Master folders within Master folders... as many as you like. If you do this, you will see a navigational hierarchy, ">>>" to drill down, and "<<<" to drill back up towards the Inbox or any Master folder that exists on the pathway back to the Inbox. But do yourself a favor...

Stick to a single level -- don't nest Master folders inside of Master folders. The filing system becomes very complex, and the multiple clicks are cumbersome.

If you think it through, you should be able to get by with one level of Master folders on the same level as your four default folders, along with a few Regular folders for your most important/common emails.

Tip

A Master folder is the preferred option for filing when you need to sub-categorize the contents of a folder. Let's look at an example...

Suppose you have 5 employees. Create a Master Folder called "Employees." Call the first Nested folder "Smith, John." After you click on the Create button, you'll see the Employees folder. Click on it and you'll see the "Smith, John" folder. That's where you'll store all your email to and from John Smith.

Now that you're at this level, enter "Jones, Sue" in the Create New Folder section (not in the Create Master and Nested Folders section), and click on the Create button -- this creates another Nested folder, this one for Sue Jones, within your Employees Master Folder.

You can repeat this for Suppliers, Consultants, Customers and any other category relevant to your business.

And if you have an important customer whom you email many times per day, you may want to simply create a Regular folder right at the default folder level, so that you can access that folder as easily as possible.

To summarize...

Use the Create a New Folder section for common/important contacts or for categories that do not sub-divide.

Use the Create Master and Nested Folders section to sub-categorize emails into Nested folders within a given category.

Master folders do not contain emails, only Nested folders. As you set up your Regular folders for various people/companies with whom you do business, you move your Inbox emails (after replying) and Sent emails and store them there.

It may seem like a bit of effort, but the resulting efficiency is well worth it!

Rename and Delete Folders

To rename a folder...

Select the radio button for the appropriate folder.
Enter the new name.
Click on the Rename folder button.

To delete a folder...

Select the radio button for the appropriate folder.
Click the Delete Selected Folder button.

If this folder contains messages and/or Nested folders, you'll receive a warning message. You'll need to check the Also Delete Folder Contents checkbox if you want to delete the folder and all its contents.

This safeguard prevents you from accidentally deleting valuable information. Always double-check contents (emails and Nested folders) in a folder before deleting it.

To delete a Nested folder, click on the appropriate Master folder in the folder table to drill down to the existing Nested folders.

Select the radio button for the Nested folder you wish to delete. Then click the Delete Selected Folder button.

Special Note

After you delete one or more Nested folders, if there are no other folders within the related Master folder, that Master folder will automatically be deleted, too.