Mail 2.0 rule not applying automatically

[ifjake]

i have a rule set up in Mail 2.0 to move messages that are 30 days old out of my inbox to a folder. problem is this rule does not run automatically but has to be manually applied if i want it to work, even if the "active" box is checked. my theory is that rules are only applied automatically to messages at the moment they are recieved, thus when first checked they are brand new, failing the 30 days old check, and are then never checked again unless prompted manually by me clicking the menu cmmand.

whether by apple script or automator or some other means, how would one execute this rule so that it runs automatically without me having to click anything. for example, it could run everytime a new viewer window is created or simply just once a day.

or would this even be considered a bug that i should submit to apple?

thanks
ifjake

 

[blodwyn]

i have a rule set up in Mail 2.0 to move messages that are 30 days old out of my inbox to a folder. problem is this rule does not run automatically but has to be manually applied if i want it to work, even if the "active" box is checked. my theory is that rules are only applied automatically to messages at the moment they are recieved, thus when first checked they are brand new, failing the 30 days old check, and are then never checked again unless prompted manually by me clicking the menu cmmand.

whether by apple script or automator or some other means, how would one execute this rule so that it runs automatically without me having to click anything. for example, it could run everytime a new viewer window is created or simply just once a day.

or would this even be considered a bug that i should submit to apple?

thanks
ifjake

I don't think this is a bug, more like a feature 🙂

Sorry, I'm not much of an applescripter so it may be possible. From browsing in automator, I can't see how to do it there.

It looks like there's a keystroke to apply rules on the Message menu, so one way to go is to feed the Mail program that keystroke on a scheduled basis. There's a program called Keyboard Maestro that can do this kind of thing, and more besides. It costs $20 though.

 

[mkrishnan]

I don't think any rule runs automatically on messages that are already in the inbox. It is kind of a limitation, I guess. Bug is probably not the right way of putting it. But I could definitely see how such rules could be useful.

 

[ifjake]

yeah it is more of a limitation than a bug, but the fact that it will allow me to create a rule like that and then not run it on its own is kind of annoying.

 

[diehldun]

Mail 2.0 is SO annoying!

I don't think any rule runs automatically on messages that are already in the inbox. It is kind of a limitation, I guess. Bug is probably not the right way of putting it. But I could definitely see how such rules could be useful.

I am moving from aol.com mail to Mail 2.0 (but still using AOL's mail service), and Mail is really annoying! AOL set up my mailbox so that after I read any new mail, it was automatically sent to "Old Mail", so that after reading an e-mail, my in-box was nice and clean. Now, in Mail, after I read an e-mail, I must manually set it to "trash", or it'll stay there!

I tried toying around for at least 3 hours yesterday, to no avail. I know there is the feature called "apply rules", but it doesn't work! Like ifjake said earlier, is this a bug?

I'm just a neat-freak that likes to make sure my in-box and e-mail account is systimatically organized (which is why I've had no excuse so far to use Spotlight 😱 ), and Mail 2.0 just doesn't feel organized enough. I may well have to go back to logging onto my e-mail via aol.com for the time being... 😡 😡