Apple Mail--what is the difference of a SMART MAILBOX vs. a MAILBOX?

[Roco]

And can you clean out your Inbox with either one? Or do messages still stay in the INBOX (can you archive msgs like GMAIL)

[trpnmonkey41]

Smart Mailboxes automatically update based on parameters that you set, so its basically a folder with built in rules

[Roco]

Smart Mailboxes automatically update based on parameters that you set, so its basically a folder with built in rules

Wht does that mean? Sorry, does that mean you can set rules for them? Why are messages in the INBOX AND my Smart Mailbox??

[shahvikram123]

So for example you can set a smart mailbox to find emails from a certain person which contains specified words and after a certain date. However emails in this mailbox or not moved, it's like a virtual folder.

Another good example is that I set up a mailbox to search for only flagged emails. Makes it quick and easy to find all my flagged emails.

[Sherman Homan]

Smart folders are like aliases. If you leave all your email in the Inbox a Smart folder can filter and organize your work email, personal, jokes, whatever. The actual emails are not really there, so no drive space is eaten up. Very handy!

[iRock]

Its a filter

[Aptmunich]

Basically a Smart Mailbox is a saved search:

When you search for something in the Finder or with Spotlight, you don't move all the files you find to a new "search results folder", do you?

Smart Mailboxes work the same way: You enter search criteria, and it constantly updates the results in one mailbox. It doesn't move the emails away from other mailboxes, it just shows the results of your criteria.

So you can have the email "today's report from the boss" appear in your "work" smart mailbox, your "This week" smart mailbox, in your "boss's mails!!" smart mailbox etc.