Can the D-mail process be streamlined?

I know nothing about programming so i can't help with the how-to of this, but---

I'm wondering if the process of composing a D-mail might be streamlined. If there was some sort of address book or a one-click list one the main page, it would make things easier.

Could it be an done with an "auto-complete" function?

Having to search, click, select, click to get to the mail form each time I want to write to someone I correspond with on a regular basis seems "clunky" (technical jargon, that) to me.

Maybe it would be enough to be able to click compose and boom, there's my form.

Maybe then I could choose the recipient form a list or something......

Any other thoughts, anyone?

C'mon, someone must know how the process could be facilitated.

Raydio, I too feel there's an opportunity for improving d-mail to make it quicker to use. Your idea of a personal frequent address book sounds like a winner. Can we copy and paste a name from the list of d-mails we've already sent? I don't know....just throwing that question out there. I'd also like to see a "has been read by the recipient" feature but that may really be too complicated incorporate.
Deborah♥

It's a great suggestion, thanks for thinking of it raydio.

I wonder if it could be like the ordinary emails, if you put the first letter of a name which is in a list in the address book (perhaps automatically added if already communicated with), those with the same first letter comes up in a drop box, then a click on the one you want selects that user into the address box. A function for doing this at the top of the dmail page would be ideal.

I don't know if it's possible, but to have a list of all the communications with one person available on selection would be useful, as to add communication to a previous one sometimes takes some searching through the pages of dmails to find.

Great idea Wallaby!

I'm thinking, personally, it would be nicer to have a "delete" button for the d-mails. After a while, they pile up. I am getting creative with my folders though, but it's still messy. Out of all the d-mails I have sent/received most are toss-able.

threegardeners, here's the long and short of dmails and why you can't delete them: http://davesgarden.com/faq/home/#174

oh...well, since you put it that way :)
thank you....( off to create a deleted folder )

:o)

We've had the Delete request time and time again and I think we should make some sort of solution for this. I think a delete button that automatically creates a "Deleted" folder (if it doesn't already exist) and moves the dmail into that folder.

dave

coooool....I like playing with buttons :)

Terry's referral back to the Q&A section answered alot of my questions too. I guess I should have gone there first. I had forgotten that an unread d-mail recipient receives an automatic reminder notice through their e-mail after 48 hours.

We now have a "Delete" button for D-Mail! If I had thought of that nice solution we could have saved a lot of people from asking that question. :)

Dave

So, you have to delete them one at a time? Is there anyway we can click on all the ones we want and delete them all at the same time? Is this already there and I'm not seeing it?

No, you'll have to go into each dmail one at a time and click Delete.

dave

I've uploaded my second change. The "Select a member" compose area is now a lot easier (hopefully). Right now it searches the members as you type. I will later enhance it to first pull out those with whom you have previously communicated.

dave

Dave, you are the best. I can hobble along with the way things are but you keep fine tuning us. LOL

You da man, Dave!

Anyone else scared to look at Dave's TODO list?

The new Dmail features are awesome!

mg

SWEET, thanks, I especially like the feature that allows me to look at all my D-mails in one list regardless of where I have filed them previously and then that list can be sorted by sender. This helped me find a misfiled D-mail already. Great update. Patti

Hey that's so good! Instant orderly list! That 'Mail' instant click tab on the bar wasn't there before either was it?

I know the email notification came up there before, but the 'Mail' Tab is new isn't it? I'm wondering now what I just haven't noticed!

Wow Dave! If you keep this up pretty soon we'll be able to click a button that says "Clean the House" and a little person with a magic wand will pop out of the screen and our whole house will be spotless. :)

It's nice to have you more active on the forums and interacting with us again. :)

I updated the dmail system again this morning. It now first checks the people you have dmailed with in the past and if there is a match it shows you those first.

dave

Now this is much better!

You go, Dave!

Thanks, Dave. I will probably now clean up my D-mail. Already have several mailboxes, but usually ignored them. The "delete" button should help a lot.

Ann

Seems to me that making your own delete folder and then being able to delete a bunch of dmails at the same time would be much easier than using the delete button.

mgh, you can do that now!

To me D-Mail is good for quick messages but if you really want to go into detail; dress it up with fonts (font type, color, size, etc.), multiple pictures, and attachments; have more area to see on the screen; and also be able to see what the other person(s) wrote (a lot of times there is so much detail between two people, that I have to jump out of the compose box, scroll back up the screen, and look for the area I just responded to) - then I ask for the other person's email address and give them mine so we can have a much better conversation and lots more control using regular email.

Yep, Dave, I know....but I guess I just don't understand why all the excitement over the delete button when we could already do this....just do it a different way. LOL

This delete button works for people who haven't previously created a Deleted folder. We know that this feature has been needed because, despite the move option being available for ages, we continue to get this question time and again. I'm personally excited that nobody will be confused anymore.

Dave

I don't see a 'delete' button when I check mail. I've checked high and low...it's not there.

Go into the dmail to read it and at the top you will see "Delete this - Post Reply - Mark as unread - Print this - Skip to New"

dave

hcmcdole, I don't use the 'compose' feature. I'm not even sure I knew it was there until recently! When I have wanted to reply to a dmail, I just go to 'My dmail' on 'My info' page, and click on the dmail I want to reply to much the same as you would reply to a thread. I do the same if I want to send a new dmail to someone I have already communicated with, on a different subject. Once I have their users name I click onto their homepage and then 'send a dmail' option. You can also use the 'Mail' tab on the top bar to go straight to your dmail, which I hadn't realised until recently but I knew there was notification of a new dmail there.

There are so many new features perhaps we all need a Tutorial on how to use it all, habit tends to kick in and with changes we don't usually want to spend time hunting around to see what there is, we first have to know what the features are. Unless you are watching for updates all the time you will miss out on what is happening too.

How about it Dave, a Tutorial on dmail, or is there already one somewhere!

Dave, I went to my dmail to test the name feature you mentioned above. I typed in a partial name of someone I have corresponded with before to see what results would pull up or really just how it worked. In just a flash there were a list of names that appeared and then it left and went straight to the box to compose the mail to the partial name I had typed in. I saw the name I was looking for briefly, but it went by too quick for me to click it. don't know if we were supposed to get the option to choose or what but there seems to be some glitch. Thanks.

Thanks, Dave. I found it!

princessyfs, did you press enter when you were typing? Don't press enter.

Hmmm....I did because there was nothing else there but the box to put the name it, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. It was just a search box. Let me go try again.

You can click on one of the names that come up...

Oh I see you have to wait for the names to come up. I thought you would type in the name and then hit enter or a button and then the names would come up. Sorry :)

No problemo. :)

BTW - if you know the name of the person, just type the full name and then press enter and it will take you directly to the "Mail so-and-so" page.

dave

thanks!