Sams Teach Yourself StarOffice® 5 for Linux in 24 Hours

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Hour 23: Using StarOffice Email and Newsgroup Features

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Sending Emails


If you're accustomed to using StarOffice to write documents, it's natural to use StarOffice to send email as well. After you have email configured (as just described), you can send email directly from within StarOffice--including attaching StarOffice documents and linking from documents to new email messages.

The sections that follow describe how to prepare and send email messages using StarOffice.

Starting an Email Message

You can open a new email message in one of several ways:

In any case, a new email message window appears, as shown in Figure 23.6.

Figure 23.6
You create email messages in this window, which appears whenever you start a new mail message.

Note - If you try to start an email message without configuring an outbox, a message warns you that you can't proceed. Return to the previous sections in this hour to learn how to configure StarOffice email.


The email message window consists of three sections:

To prepare your email, follow these steps. Some of the steps can be skipped if they don't apply to the email that you're sending:

1. A drop-down list indicates the word To: when you start the email. In the empty field next to the To: field, enter the email address of the person (or persons) who are to receive your email. Then press Enter.

The line


To: <email address>

appears in the box below the field in which you entered the email address.

2. Click on the drop-down list in which To: appears and select Copy: from the list.

3. Enter your own email address in the empty field next to it. Press Enter. This sends a copy of the message to your email account for reference or archiving.

The line


Copy: <your email address>

is added to the box below the field in which you entered the email address.

4. In the empty field next to Subject, enter a subject for the email message.

5. Click the Extras tab in the top right part of the message window.

6. If you want an email message returned to you, confirming receipt of this message, check the Confirm receipt checkbox.

Note - Not all email systems issue return receipts.


7. Choose a priority from the Priority drop-down list. The default of Normal is fine for most messages.

8. Click in the message body area and start typing:


This is the message

Your screen now looks somewhat similar to Figure 23.7.

Figure 23.7
An email message with basic headers entered; you are now ready to start entering the message text.

When you click in the message body area and start typing your message, the menus and toolbars change to reflect text entry capabilities. For example, when you click on the message body, the Object toolbar changes to include

  • The font and font size drop-down lists

  • Bold, italic, and underline icons

  • Justification icons for right, left, center, full

  • Numbered list and bulleted list icons

Tip - Many email systems that receive your message won't recognize any formatting that you add to an email message (for example, bulleted lists and bold text). Using plain text with no formatting beyond asterisks and spaces is the safest way to create an email.

Including Attachments in an Email

After you've entered the text of your email message (or before, if you prefer), you can attach a file to the email message. The file is encoded and sent with the message.

Tip - Some email systems don't allow attachments that are larger than a certain size. Either your email server or the receiver's email server might reject the message if you attach a large file or several files to your email message. Common limits are 100K, 1MB, or 10MB. If this occurs, you'll have to figure out a way to split up attached files into multiple smaller email messages, or call the system administrator for help.


To attach a file to an email, choose File... from the Attach menu or click on the Attach icon (a paperclip--see Figure 23.8).

Figure 23.8
You can open a dialog box and select files to attach to your email message by clicking the paperclip icon.

Tip - If the Attach menu and paperclip icon are not visible, click on the header section of your email window. When the body of the email message is active, different icons and menus are displayed.


The Attach File dialog box is the same as the Open File dialog box with which you're already familiar (see Figure 23.9). The only difference is that when you select a file and choose OK, the filename is listed in the Attachments section of the email window.

When you have attached files to your email, click on the Attachments tab in the upper right area of the message window to see a list of attached files. The Attachments tab is to the right of the headers section. If it isn't visible, click and drag the border between sections to reveal the tab.

Several browsers that include email capabilities send the email message in plaintext (ASCII) and in HTML text, so that if the message is read within another browser, the text looks nicer. You can define any of four formats in which your email message can be sent:

  • ASCII--The plaintext default, standard on the Internet for all email readers and checked by default

  • RTF--Useful for viewing text in any word processor because formatting information is included

  • HTML--Nice if your message will be read within a browser

  • StarWriter--Useful only if someone using StarOffice is going to receive your message

Figure 23.9
Select a file to attach in the Attach File dialog box. The name of the selected file is listed in the Attachments section of your email window.

To choose to include any or all of these formats, go to the Formats tab and select the checkboxes for the formats that you want.

Sending the Email Message

When you're typing in the message window, the toolbars and menus reflect text editing features.

In order to send the email message, you must have the correct toolbar visible, so you can click on the Send icon. If you click on the headers section, the text editing menus and toolbars disappear, and the email-specific toolbar appears.

Tip - You must use the icon on the toolbar to send your email message. No menu item is available for this function.


Click on the Send icon to send your email message (see Figure 23.10).

Figure 23.10
Send your completed email message by clicking on the Send icon.

Tip - If you attempt to close an email message that you've entered by choosing Close from the File menu, StarOffice prompts you to see if you want to send the message.


Sending a Document as Email

In addition to creating an email message from scratch, you can use a document that you've written as the email and send it directly from StarOffice, rather than starting an email and adding the file as an attachment.

If you're viewing a StarOffice document, spreadsheet, or presentation, you can choose Send from the File menu, then choose Document as Email from the Send submenu. The Send Mail dialog box appears (see Figure 23.11), where you can choose how to send the current file.

Figure 23.11
The Send Mail dialog box enables you to send the current document, spreadsheet, or presentation as an email without first opening a new Mail message window.

When you choose OK, the new mail message window appears. The option that you select in the Send Mail dialog determines how the document is included:

  • If you choose Attach, the file is listed in the Attachments tab.

  • If you choose Content, the file is inserted into the message body (use this option for documents, not for spreadsheets).

You can then enter other details of the email message and press Send to finish it.

Sams Teach Yourself StarOffice® 5 for Linux in 24 Hours

ContentsIndex

Hour 23: Using StarOffice Email and Newsgroup Features

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