Mac Mail Smart Mailbox

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I am currently have a big issue with Smart Mailboxes in Mail. A Smart Mailbox is supposed to filter email but retain it in your inbox.
I set up a Smart Mailbox to filter mail from my developer. The rule was set in place - mail from [email protected] came to my Smart Mailbox. This worked... BUT any emails from him disappeared from my inbox.

I soon realized that I couldn't work like this with my Iphone so I deleted my Smart Mailbox altogether.... which then deleted all emails from my developer.

He sent me several emails yesterday which I simply didn't get. On the off-chance to test it, I set up a new Smart Mailbox with the same parameters and the non-delivered emails suddenly appeared within it.

It's like I now cannot get an email from him unless i have the Smart Mailbox set up and that means that I cannot ever get emails from him on my iphone!

Am totally lost with this one - can anyone help me?

thanks
Sarah:Grimmace:
 
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That sounds odd.. Deleting a Smart Mailbox shouldn't delete the contents... in fact in the popup that occurs when you delete a Smart Mailbox it says that te Mailbox will be deleted permanently but that the contents will not be lost. Now.. Deleting a regular mailbox, that ay have rules applied to it DOES delete the contents.

Do you have any "RULES" that are set with similar parameters? Rules vs Smart Mailboxes (not the same).

A work around would be to add a regular Mailbox, maybe titled "Developer" then set a RULE that messages from that email address place a COPY of the email in the "Developer" folder. T.his way the messages are left in your inbox, and available for other devices to see/use and a copy placed in the "Developer" mailbox for easy access to all messages from this particular sender

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C

chas_m

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The basic problem here is that you don't understand what a Smart Mailbox is.

It's not a mailbox at all. It's a saved search.

IOW, when you open a Smart Mailbox it's the same as if you created a search that said "show me all emails, from any mailbox, that match this criteria." The emails are still in the same mailbox they always were and *never existed* in the Smart Mailbox, because it's just a "view" rather than an actual mailbox.

So, consequently, when you delete a Smart Mailbox, no emails are deleted -- because there were never there in the first place. They've been filed someplace else, don't know where. But that is why they "magically" appeared when you set up a new Smart Mailbox.

What you *actually want to do is set up a REGULAR mailbox and make THAT the target for your "rule" -- or even more simply, mark this developer person as a VIP and then all his emails to you will go in the VIP mailbox, which works on all devices.
 

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