This question is about archiving e-mail, but I need to provide a little background.

I'm in a Windows environment and I've organized my hard drive to have an "ARBOR" folder with a subfolder for "CASES" and subsidiary subfolders for each actual CASE, say "JONES." All correspondence, reports, spreadsheets, time records, etc. for the case go in that subfolder, for easy later archiving to floppy.

I'm finding a lot of e-mail with client or research sources or colleagues being added to the collection. Is there any way store those e-mails in the JONES folder either automatically (by some sort of filter) or manually rather than copying the messages to text files?

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on September 23, 1999 at 07:19:14:

It will depend on the software you are using to a degree. Each one handles archiving a bit differently. I have CC-Mail (I know, not y2K complient) and I can select "New" from the file menu, then select "Archive" and tell it where I want the archive folder to be set up. Then add to that folder whatever messages I want to add whenever I want to.

So, if there is a similar procedure in your software, you could set up a subdirectory for e-corrispondance through the archive tools and move messages to that location as needed.

Wayne

Reply to post by Scott Cullen, on September 23, 1999 at 07:19:14:

As Wayne pointed out, it is mostly software dependent. Email clients are generally databases, most with a proprietary storage system. You can't really take individual messages out. most allow archiving or exporting to text documents, either of individual messages or groups.

I use a FileMaker database to archive my messages. The ones I want to archive are selected, and AppleScript converts them and places them in the database. The originals are then deleted from the email software, keeping it trim and fast. The FileMaker db is quick and easy to search.

If you need to keep messages by case or client, you will probably need to export as text. If you have several messages, maybe one text file would work, with each message appended.