Designed to be the device that keeps you connected while you are away, the BlackBerry contains most of the same e-mail features as a desktop PIM, all in the palm of your hand. Once you are connected and begin sending and receiving e-mail, you’ll quickly realize that there are many e-mail tasks that you need to perform. In this chapter, I’ll describe all of the e-mail management functions available so that you can use the BlackBerry to meet all of your e-mail needs.

Managing Messages

In order to help you manage your e-mail, the BlackBerry includes an inbox/outbox feature in the form of the Messages folder, which is available through your Home screen by clicking the Messages icon or pressing M on your keypad. The Messages folder contains a simple text interface where you can see all of the mail that you have received, any mail that is waiting to be sent (such as messages that are held when you are not connected to the network), and any sent mail that failed, as shown in Figure 7-1.

Figure 1:


The Messages folder gives you easy access to messages.

From this easy-to-use interface you can perform any of the e-mail actions that you might need. The following sections show you how.

Configuring Options

Before using the Messages folder, you should check out the configuration options that are available to you from this screen. By accessing Options on the menu that appears when you click the trackwheel, you can choose whether or not to show the time and names for e-mail. With these options turned on, all e-mail is displayed with a time stamp and the name(s) of the person to whom the e-mail is sent. Under most circumstances, you will want these features enabled—especially if you receive a lot of e-mail.

You can also choose whether or not to use a delete confirmation message. This feature gives you a measure of safety when deleting messages by asking you to confirm deletions. Without this feature turned on, you have no second chance when you click the Delete option.

Note: Once you delete a message, it cannot be recovered on the BlackBerry. The Confirm Delete feature can be helpful in preventing accidents, and I strongly recommend that you leave the feature enabled. Some providers have a backup website that allows you to back up your e-mail messages to it. Check with your provider to find out if this additional measure of protection is available to you.

To learn how to configure the Messages folder options, see “How to…Configure Messages Folder Options.”

How To …

Configure the Messages Folder Options

To configure the Messages folder options, follow these steps:

1. On the Home screen, open the Messages folder by clicking it or pressing M on your keypad.

2. In the Messages screen, click the trackwheel to see the menu and click Options, as shown here.

Illustration 1

3. In the Options screen, click the trackwheel and select any options that you want to change from the menu that appears. (You can also hold down the ALT key and roll the trackwheel to change highlighted item options.) For each item, choose Yes or No.

4. When you’re done, click the trackwheel to see the menu and then click Save Options.

End How To …

Marking Messages

If you receive a lot of e-mail each day, you know that sifting through that e-mail and reading each message can be a real headache—especially if you can’t keep up with which messages you have read and which messages you have not. The BlackBerry can help keep you organized with its Mark Message feature, which allows you to mark a message as either read or unread. You can mark important messages as unread to ensure that you reread them or give them special attention later. To mark a message as either read or unread, scroll to the message in the Messages folder and click the trackwheel to see the menu for this screen. Next, click either Mark Read or Mark Unread. Messages that are marked as read have an opened envelope icon next to them; messages marked as unread have an unopened envelope icon. You can change the status of any message (read or unread) at any time by simply re-accessing the menu and changing the mark option.

Tip: You can mark several messages as read or unread at the same time by holding down the SHIFT key and rolling the trackwheel. You can also mark an entire group of messages as read or unread by scrolling to the desired date in the Messages folder, clicking the trackwheel, and then clicking Mark Prior Read. All messages prior to the date selected will be marked Read.

Saving Messages

Think of the Messages folder as a work area. Messages that you receive automatically arrive to this folder, and messages that are waiting on network connectivity to be sent are also held here. From the Messages screen, you read your mail, mark messages as needed, and delete messages you do not want (see the next section). Once you finish managing messages, however, you also have the option to save messages that you want to keep. These messages are then removed from the Messages folder and placed in a separate folder called Saved Messages, which is accessible from your Home screen by clicking the Saved Messages icon or pressing V on your keypad. To save a message, simply select the message that you want to save in the Messages folder, click the trackwheel, and click Save Message on the menu that appears. In the Saved Messages folder, you’ll see your list of saved messages. You can open and read any message that you like, and you can also mark and delete messages in the Saved Messages folder.

Begin Did You Know?

What Happened to My Messages?

Consider this scenario: you pick up the BlackBerry one morning and begin reading your e-mail while eating breakfast. As you are browsing through your Messages folder, which contains a lot of messages, you notice that some older messages are missing. What happened?

The BlackBerry uses memory to store messages in the Messages folder. When memory begins to run low, the BlackBerry has to make room for new, incoming messages. To find the room it needs, the BlackBerry begins deleting the oldest messages in the Messages folder; however, messages stored in your Saved Messages folder are not deleted. In order to avoid the potential message loss, it is important that you keep your Messages folder tidy—delete messages you don’t want and save messages that you do want. These housekeeping actions will help ensure that you do not lose e-mail that you might need.

End Did You Know?

Deleting Messages

If you are like me, you tend a get a lot of junk e-mail (unfortunately). This may include advertisements and CC messages from colleagues that don’t concern you. You can easily delete messages from the Messages folder that you do not want, and you also delete messages from the Saved Messages folder when they are no longer useful to you. To delete a message, scroll to the message you want to delete, click the trackwheel to access menu options, and click Delete Message. Click Yes in response to the confirmation dialog box that appears, and the message will be deleted from the BlackBerry. It is important to note that the BlackBerry does not contain a folder for deleted items. Once you delete a message, it is gone forever and cannot be recovered. Because you cannot recover deleted messages, I strongly recommend that you leave the Confirm Delete option set to Yes in both the Messages and Saved Messages Options screens. This feature will help ensure that you do not accidentally delete a message that you want to keep.

Note: You can delete several messages at one time by holding down the SHIFT key and rolling the trackwheel to select the messages. You can also delete all messages prior to a certain date by selecting the date in the Messages folder, clicking the trackwheel, and clicking Delete Prior from the menu that appears. All messages prior to this date will be deleted. However, use caution and make sure that all messages that you want to keep have been saved before you use the Delete Prior feature.

Begin How To…

Manage Saved Messages

It is important to keep in mind that the BlackBerry’s Messages folder is designed for incoming and outgoing mail. Think of the folder as a place to quickly read and sort your mail. You can decide what you need and what you don’t need while working in the Messages folder, but as a general rule of practice, you should try to keep the Messages folder clear from clutter. Use the Saved Messages feature to store mail that you want to keep. You can then easily access the saved messages and read or respond to them as needed.

End How To…

Click here to purchase How to Do Everything with Your BlackBerry

Searching Messages and Senders

If you access the menu from the Messages folder, you’ll see that you also have the option to search messages and senders. The BlackBerry also contains a Search icon on your Home screen; and I’ll discuss these search features a little later in “Searching Messages.” For now, however, note that you can search for particular messages and even all messages from a particular sender directly from the Messages and Saved Messages folders, just as you can choose to compose messages directly from these locations. These menu features allow you quick access to tasks that you need to perform without having to exit and open different applications over and over again.

Message Menu Items

You can open and read any message that appears in your Messages and Saved Messages folders. Once you open a message and read it, you can click the trackwheel to see a message menu that provides you with a number of message-specific options. The following list describes these features:

· Mark, Save, and Delete The Mark, Save, and Delete features are available within the message menu just as they are on the Message folder menu. This feature saves you time so you can manage messages as you read them (save the good stuff, delete the junk). These three features work in exactly the same way as from the folder menu, so refer to the previous sections for more information.

· Previous Item and Next Item Use these options to view the previous or next message in the message list.

Begin How To…

Make the Mark Message Feature Count

The usefulness of each option or application provided on the BlackBerry, depends on you—after all, e-mail itself isn’t very useful if you do not read it! This is especially true of the Mark Message feature. The best method to keep track of your messages is to mark as unread those messages that you have not finished reading or have not responded to. For example, let’s say you’re skimming your messages during a cab ride. You read an important message, but you do not have time to respond. One way to recall your attention to this message is to mark it Unread. When you access your Messages folder again, you will remember the message, open it, and have an opportunity to respond. If you receive 50+ messages per day, the Mark Messages feature can really come in handy!

End How To…

Editing or Resending a Message

Messages that you send appear in the Messages folder, and even though these messages have been sent, you can still open them and edit and/or resend the message if necessary. This feature is very helpful if you make a mistake or need to send additional information. Also, if you try to send a message when you are in a place where connectivity isn’t so great, such as a parking garage, you may need to resend the message when you have good connectivity. To edit and resend a message, in the Messages folder, simply open the message and click the trackwheel to access the message menu. Click the Edit Message option, and your cursor appears in the message so that you can make changes as needed. When you’re done, click the trackwheel to access the message menu and then click Resend Message to resend the message.

Opening Attachments

If a received message contains an address book entry attachment (as mentioned in Chapter 6, the only kind of attachment you can receive on your BlackBerry), you can choose to open and view that attachment and add the attachment to your address book. To do this, follow the steps in “How to…Open and Save a Viewable Attachment.”

Begin How To…

Open and Save a Viewable Attachment

If a received message has an attachment in the form of an address book entry, follow these steps to read the attachment and save it to your address book.

1. Open the message that has the attachment.

2. Using your trackwheel, scroll to the attachment so that your cursor is placed somewhere on the name of the attachment.

3. Click the trackwheel to see the message menu and click View Address to view the attachment contact information.

If you want to save the attachment, click the trackwheel to see the message menu and then click Save Address.

Tip: If you need more power with attachment handling, there are several third-party applications that can help you out. See Chapter 14 to find out more.

End How To…

Inserting Symbols into E-mail Messages

The BlackBerry provides a simple menu, called the Symbols menu, that you can use when creating new messages (or replying or forwarding messages) so that you can easily insert common symbols into your e-mails. The Symbols menu provides you with typical desktop keyboard symbols that do not appear on your BlackBerry keyboard.

To access the Symbols screen, just press SYM. You’ll see the Symbols screen appear, as shown in Figure 7-2.

Figure 2:


Press the SYM key on your keyboard.

Use the trackwheel to select the symbol you want to include and click the trackwheel to insert the symbol into the e-mail. You can also use the keyboard hot key that appears directly below the symbol to which it corresponds. For example, if you want to insert < (less than sign), just press < W on the keyboard.

Inserting Accent and International Characters

In addition to the Symbols screen, you can insert accent characters and international symbols. When you are typing, hold down the desired key on the keyboard and roll the trackwheel to see various accent/character options you can choose.

Tip: You can also capitalize any letter by holding down the key and rolling the trackwheel.

Quick Message Keyboard Tips

You may also find these additional keyboard shortcuts helpful:

· Use ALT-U to toggle between marking a message read or unread.

· Use the trackwheel to select a date in the Messages folder, and then press the DEL key to delete all messages prior to the date.

Tip: Be careful! Make sure you want to delete all messages prior to the selected date before you press DEL. Deleted messages cannot be recovered.

· View all received messages in either Messages or Saved Messages by pressing ALT-I.

· Use ALT-O to view all sent messages in the Messages folder.

Click here to purchase How to Do Everything with Your BlackBerry

Searching Messages

The BlackBerry provides you with a helpful Search feature so that you can easily locate messages by subject or by sender. You can directly access the Search feature from the Home screen by clicking the Search Messages icon or by pressing S on the keypad.

When you bring up the Search Messages screen, as shown in Figure 7-3, you see several fields where you can enter text for your search. You are provided with fields for name, subject, message, folder, type, and show. You do not need to enter search criteria for each field, only the ones you want searched; however, the more information you enter, the more narrow your search will be. These fields perform specific searches, as described here:

Figure 3:


You can search using a number of helpful fields.

· Name Enter a name that you want to search for and use the associated In field to specify the location of the name, such as To, From, CC, BCC, and so on.

· Subject Enter keywords in this field to search for a desired subject.

· Message Enter keywords that may appear in the message text.

· Folder Enter a keyword to search by folder.

· Type Enter a keyword to search by message type.

· Show You can narrow your search to specific types of messages by specifying one of the following options: Received Only, Saved Only, Sent and Received, or Sent Only.

You can enter keywords by hand directly into the desired fields, but you can also access the menu on this screen to help you a bit. For example, you can use the menu to select names, clear fields, and even save and recall searches.

For example, let’s say that I perform a specific search to locate the word “contract” in the text of certain e-mails, as shown in Figure 7-4.

Figure 4:


Type the information you want to search on.

Once I’m done searching, I decide to save this search for future use, so I click the trackwheel and click Save Search from the menu that appears. This action opens an additional screen, shown in Figure 7-5, where I can enter a name for the search and designate a hot key (ALT-n, where n is any keyboard letter) so I can easily perform the same search again using the hot key I assigned. For example, for my search, I entered a keyboard hot key of ALT-A. Whenever I want to perform the search on “contract,” I can just press ALT-A, and the search will be performed and the results returned to me.

You can also use the Recall Search feature on the Search Messages menu to select the name of the previously saved search that you want to perform. This feature works well if you do not like using hot keys.

Figure 5:


You can save your search parameters.

Once you recall a search, you can also edit it. For example, let’s say you save a previous search, but now you want to search on a different name than the one you originally provided in the Name field. No problem—once you recall the search, you simply click the trackwheel and select Edit Search from the menu that appears and make editorial changes to the search as desired.

Note: Searches always function best if you are specific about what you want to find. However, if your search returns no matches, you are probably using too narrow of an approach. Try leaving some fields open or using more keywords.

Click here to purchase How to Do Everything with Your BlackBerry