Composing a Message

When you click on the "Compose" button at the top of the screen, a new window will open, ready to be filled in and mailed. To enter information, move between fields by either using the Tab key or positioning the cursor in the new field and clicking once.

You can fill in the "To" field in any one of four ways:

• Type in the complete email address (e.g., jhshmoe@unity.ncsu.edu), or you can use the shortened form (e.g., jhshmoe@ncsu.edu).
• Copy and paste the address from another source.
• If the address is already in your book, select the "Addresses" button and choose the address.
• Type in the Address Book nickname for the recipient.

You can fill in the "Cc" field to send a "carbon copy" to someone who may need a copy of this email. Using the "Bcc" field, you can send a "blind" copy to someone; i.e., to a recipient whose identity is not revealed to the other persons who receive copies.

The "Subject" field allows you to enter a summary of your message.

The "Priority" button, just below the "Subject" line, displays a drop-down list from which you can select a priority for your message. A high-priority message might be presented differently by the recipient's mail program. Note that excessive use of this function will devalue its effect.

The "Addresses" button will take you to your Address Book. From there, you can select people to receive this message by marking the checkboxes next to their names and then selecting the "Use Addresses" button. To get email addresses of NCSU faculty, staff and students from the university directory, go to http://www.cgibin.ncsu.edu/phone-simple-dir.html and enter the person's name.

The "Send" button will send your message. For convenience, there is also a "Send" button at the bottom of the text field.

"Save Draft" will save a copy of the message to the "Drafts" folder.

"Check Spelling" will allow you to find and correct spelling errors. You will have the option to add unrecognized words to your Personal Dictionary. To edit this dictionary, select "Options," then "SpellChecker Options" and change the desired word(s).

"Cancel" will close the Compose window without sending the message.

The"From" field is not shown in the above example. This is displayed only if you have enabled multiple identities (in the Personal Information menu). If you've done so, you can choose which identity you want to use.

The "Attach" field allows you to send a file (e.g., Word document, Excel file, image) to another user along with but separate from your message. To attach a file,

• Choose the "Browse" button
• Navigate to the location of the file.
• Select it.
• Choose the "Add" button.

Once you have attached a file, its name and a checkbox will be displayed below the "Attach" window. You can attach more than one file to an email.

To remove an attachment, mark its checkbox and select the "Delete Selected Attachments" button.

Go to Webmail Tutorial main page

Last modified on September 17, 2011 by cawalker