General Settings
  • Incoming Mail Settings
  • Outgoing Mail Settings
  • Retrieve Settings
  • Messages Settings
  • Cleanup Settings
  • News Settings
  • PGP Settings

    This notebook is accessed via the toolbar button by the same name, the General submenu option of the Settings option on the program's main window Tools menu, or the OK-Goto General button in the Advanced Settings notebook. These two settings notebooks hold most of the program's settings, but some of the settings are accessible from the location where you use them. For example, the main window's Message menu remembers things such as your Word wrap, Decode attachments, Headers, and font settings; the compose window remembers your word wrap and font settings; etc.

    The Incoming Mail Page

    Server List
    Mail for this account is retrieved from one or more incoming mail servers that are configured on this page. The order in which the server connections are attempted is from top to bottom. Polarbar always attempts to retreive from each server in the listed order, with the exception of servers that are disabled.
    Add Button
    Use the Add button to add a new incoming mail server entry. Polarbar pops up a "New Server" dialog that lets you choose which type of server to configure:
    1. POP3
      A standard Post Office Protocol 3 server that requires you to log in with your user ID and password.
    2. IMAP4
      A standard Internet M ail Access Protocol 4 server that requires you to log in with your user ID and password.
    3. PPO
      A type of server that deposits your mail into a specific directory when new mail is available.
    4. news:
      A public Usenet news server or a private news server.
    The new server entry is added to the bottom of the list and is listed as "undefined".
    Change Button
    Use the Change button to edit the settings for the highlighted server entry. You can also double-click on a server entry to enter edit mode.
    Delete Button
    Use the Delete button to delete the highlighted entry.
    Up Button
    Use the Up button to move the highlighted entry up one slot in the list.
    Down Button
    Use the Down button to move the highlighted entry down one slot in the list.

    For all server types other than PPO, the "Edit connection settings" dialog uses the same basic dialog with minor differences between the types, as described below:

    The Server Settings Tab (all servers other than PPO):
    Mail Server
    The address for the mail server (e.g., mail@myisp.com).
    Port
    Usually 110 for a POP3 server, 143 for an IMAP4 server, and 119 for a news server.
    Test Connection Button
    When you activate this button, Polarbar tests the connection to this server and reports the results by changing the button text. If the connection attempt fails, you can adjust the server settings and test the connection again.
    Connection Timeout
    How many seconds the program should wait for a connection. It will stop waiting sooner than this if TCP/IP returns an error or if the connection is made.
    Attempts
    How many attempts Polarbar should make to connect to this server before moving on to the next server in the list.
    Userid
    For POP3 and IMAP4 servers only. Your user ID for this mail server. This field is optional. If it is blank, then Polarbar will prompt you for your user ID the first time it attempts to retrieve mail using this server (after you start Polarbar or switch to this account).
    Password
    For POP3 and IMAP4 servers only. Your password for this mail server. This field is optional. If it is blank, then Polarbar will prompt you for your password the first time it attempts to retrieve mail using this server (after you start Polarbar or switch to this account).
    Maximum message size
    For POP3 and IMAP4 servers only. The maximum message size to download. If set to any value other than zero (0), then any messages larger than this number of bytes will not be downloaded. Instead, only their headers will be retreived. In place of the actual message, Polarbar will insert an explanation of why the message was not downloaded. You can then use the Preview Mail feature to look at the first 50 lines of the message and decide if you want to retrieve the entire message (from the Mail Preview window) or just delete it.
    Prompt before preview
    For POP3 and IMAP4 servers only. If this checkbox is enabled, then Polarbar will prompt you for your user ID and password when you choose this server for use with Preview Mail feature, even if neither the user ID nor the password is missing.
    Disable
    For all servers other than PPO. If this checkbox is enabled, then Polarbar will not attempt to retrieve mail from this incoming mail server.

    The Options Tab (POP3 servers only):
    Retrieve new mail only
    If this checkbox is enabled, then Polarbar will only retrieve new mail (i.e., mail that Polarbar has not previously retrieved). This option is most commonly enabled if you intend to leave you mail on the server.
    Mail server supports the UIDL command
    If this checkbox is enabled, then Polarbar retrieves the UIDL codes for all messages that are on this mail server and compares them with its saved list of UIDLs of previously retrieved mail in order to determine which mail messages are new. If this checkbox is disabled, then Polarbar uses a "high water mark" to indicate how many of the mail messages that are on the server have already been retrieved. The "high water mark" method is prone to failure and the use of UIDL is strongly encouraged.
    Download POP3 mail in reverse order
    If this checkbox is enabled, then Polarbar will retrieve mail from this server in reverse order (i.e., from highest to lowest, instead of from lowest to highest).
    Delete retrieved messages from server
    If this checkbox is enabled, then after Polarbar has successfuly downloaded a mail message, it tells the server to mark the message for deletion. The server won't actually delete the marked messages until after Polarbar logs off from the server. This means that if the server connection drops, none of the messages that were marked for deletion will be deleted.

    The Mailbox Mapping Tab (POP3 and IMAP4 servers only):
    Mailbox Mapping
    A comma-separated list of email address to use with the mailbox mapping feature, as controlled by the radio buttons. If this field is blank, then the mailbox mapping feature is disabled.
    Retrieve mail for only these addresses
    If this radio button is enabled, then Polarbar will only retrieve mail messages that have one or more of the indicated email addresses in their "To:", "Cc:", or "Bcc:" headers.
    Retrieve mail excluding these addresses
    If this radio button is enabled, then Polarbar will only retrieve mail messages that don't have any of the indicated email addresses in their "To:", "Cc:", or "Bcc:" headers.

    The PPO Settings Tab (PPO servers only):
    Directory
    The absolute path for the directory that the PPO server places new mail messages into.
    Supported PPO Message Extensions
    A comma-separated list of case-sensitive file name extensions that Polarbar will look for in the PPO server's directory.
    Activate PPO Inbox
    If this checkbox is enabled, then Polarbar will to retrieve mail from this PPO mail server. This checkbox is disabled and cleared if the Directory field does not hold the absolute path for an existing and accessible directory.

    The Newsgroup Tab (news servers only):
    Newsgroup
    The name of the newsgroup to read for this server entry.
    Last article read
    The higest article number that has been retreived from the server. When Polarbar retrieves articles from the newsgroup, it will only download those articles that have an article number that is larger than this value.
    Catchup
    If you activate this button, then the Last article read field gets set to the highest article number that the server reports for this newsgroup.
    The Outgoing Mail Page
    Server List
    Mail sent using this account is sent via one or more outgoing mail servers that are configured on this page. The order in which the server connections are attempted is from top to bottom. Polarbar does not memorize which server it used previously and always starts with the first listed server. You can configure each server to only be used if your computer's IP address is in one (or more) specific IP address range(s) and you can disable a server from being used without having to delete it from the list.
    Add Button
    Use the Add button to add a new outgoing mail server entry. Polarbar pops up a "New Server" dialog that lets you choose which type of server to configure:
    1. SMTP
      A standard Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server.
    2. Auth SMTP
      An SMTP server that supports the AUTH LOGIN authentication protocol that requires you to log in with your user ID and password. If you are not sure if your ISP uses a plain SMTP server or supports AUTH LOGIN, choosing this server type is a safe option, because if it turns out that the server doesn't support AUTH LOGIN, Polarbar will fall back to the simple SMTP usage.
    3. POP3 (out)
      A standard Post Office Protocol 3 server that requires you to log in with your user ID and password.
    4. PPO
      A type of server that requires you to deposit your mail into a specific directory that it scans periodically for new outgoing mail.
    The new server entry is added to the bottom of the list and is listed as "undefined".
    Change Button
    Use the Change button to edit the settings for the highlighted server entry. You can also double-click on a server entry to enter edit mode.
    Delete Button
    Use the Delete button to delete the highlighted entry.
    Up Button
    Use the Up button to move the highlighted entry up one slot in the list.
    Down Button
    Use the Down button to move the highlighted entry down one slot in the list.

    For all server types other than PPO, the "Edit connection settings" dialog uses the same basic dialog with minor differences between the types, as described below:

    The Server Settings Tab (all servers other than PPO):
    Mail Server
    The address for the mail server (e.g., mail@myisp.com).
    Port
    Usually 25 for an SMTP or Auth SMTP server or 110 for a POP3 (out) server.
    Test Connection Button
    When you activate this button, Polarbar tests the connection to this server and reports the results by changing the button text. If the connection attempt fails, you can adjust the server settings and test the connection again.
    Connection Timeout
    How many seconds the program should wait for a connection. It will stop waiting sooner than this if TCP/IP returns an error or if the connection is made.
    Attempts
    How many attempts Polarbar should make to connect to this server before moving on to the next server in the list.
    Userid
    For Auth SMTP, POP Before SMTP, and POP3 (out) servers only. Your user ID for this mail server. This field is optional. If it is blank, then Polarbar will prompt you for your user ID the first time it attempts to retrieve mail using this server (after you start Polarbar or switch to this account).
    Password
    For Auth SMTP, POP Before SMTP, and POP3 (out) servers only. Your password for this mail server. This field is optional. If it is blank, then Polarbar will prompt you for your password the first time it attempts to retrieve mail using this server (after you start Polarbar or switch to this account).
    Disable
    If this checkbox is enabled, then Polarbar will not attempt to send mail using this outgoing mail server.

    The IP Address Range Tab (all servers other than PPO):
    IP Ranges
    A optional list of IP address ranges, separated by semicolon, that your computer's IP address must be within in order for Polarbar to use this server. For example, if the ISP that owns this server always gives your computer an IP address that starts with 39.12 or 39.13 when you are connected to the ISP's network, then you could enter 39.12;39.13 into this field. Then if you were dialed into some other network, this server would not be used to send your mail.

    The PPO Settings Tab (PPO servers only):
    Directory
    The absolute path for the directory that the PPO server scans for new messages to send. Polarbar saves all messages using the POP file name extension (all uppercase).
    Activate PPO Outbox
    If this checkbox is disabled, then Polarbar will not attempt to send mail using this PPO server. This checkbox is disabled and cleared if the Directory field does not hold the absolute path for an existing and accessible directory.
    The Retrieving Page
    Retrieve mail automatically every [ ] minutes
    With this checkbox turned on and a number of minutes specified, the program will automatically retrieve new mail whenever the account is open after each time the specified number of minutes elapses. To temporarily turn it off, or to make automatic mail retrieval occur on all accounts, see Popper.
    Retrieve mail at startup
    With this checkbox turned on, Polarbar will attempt the first mail retrieval as soon as it is safe to do so (after starting Polarbar or switching to this account) instead of waiting until after the automatic mail retrieval interval expires.
    Send mail in outbox when performing receive
    With this checkbox turned on Polarbar will try to send any messages in your outbox as soon as a mail retrieval process has been started.
    Popper retreives to another account
    With this checkbox turned on, any messages that are retrieved for this account when the Popper is running are instead redirected to the account that is specified in the drop-down list to the right, even if this account is the active account when the Popper is retreiving messages.
    Play system sound when new mail is received
    With this radio button turned on, the program will play your system's default sound (typically a beep), when a mail retrieval action results in new mail being received.
    Play audio file when new mail is received
    With this radio button turned on and a valid audio (.AU) file selected via the Find button to the right, the program will play that audio file, when a mail retrieval action results in new mail being received.
    Do not play a file when new mail is received
    With this radio button turned on, the program will not play any sound when a mail retrieval action results in new mail being received.
    The Messages Page
    Prompt before deleting messages
    With this checkbox turned on, the program will ask you for confirmation each time you delete a message from a folder. Caution: If turn off this setting, it is suggested that you enable the cleanup setting: Copy Discarded Messages to Trash to avoid accidental loss of messages.
    Prompt if no default persona when composing
    With this checkbox turned on, the program will ask you to select a Persona when the compose window opens if you haven't previously selected a default persona.
    Prompt before permitting addresses without domains
    With this checkbox turned on, the program will ask you whether you're sure you haven't made a mistake each time you try to leave the compose window with an addressee which is not formatted like a legal internet address and is also not found as a nickname in one of your address books. Turn this setting off if you need to be able to address messages to other users on your own network without having to specify the domain name as part of the address.
    Prompt before permitting messages without user text
    With this checkbox turned on, the program will ask you whether you're sure you haven't made a mistake each time you try to leave the compose window without having added any text to the initial preface and/or quoted text.
    Prompt before permitting messages with no subject
    With this checkbox turned on, the program will ask you whether you're sure you haven't made a mistake each time you try to leave the compose window wit a blank subject.
    Include message headers when forwarding
    If you turn this setting on, then when you forward a message, its header lines will be included instead of only its message body text.
    Scan unread messages across folders
    If you turn this setting on, then when you select Next Unread Message and there are no more unread messages in the current folder, the program will advance to the next folder with unread messages in it, if any, not counting the draft, outbox, and trash folders.
    Remember folder message list sort order
    If you turn this setting on, then when you sort the Message List, the sort order will be retained between visits to to folder and between invocations of the program.
    Switch focus on message selection
    If you turn this setting on, then after a message is selected, the window focus is switched back to the message browser.
    Default word wrapping ON for all composed messages
    This setting lets you specify whether you want the Word wrap setting on the Edit menu of the compose window to be on or off by default.
    Start in drafts folder when it has new autosaved messages
    If you turn this setting on, then if Polarbar was closed, crashed, or killed with open compose windows, then when you restart Polarbar, Polarbar will start up with the drafts folder selected instead of the inbox.
    Use separate message window (requires restart)
    If you turn this setting on and restart Polarbar, all messages are displayed in a window that is detached from the main Polarbar frame. This feature does not work well unless you also enable "Switch focus on message selection".
    Move unread message count to start of title bar
    Polarbar displays the current unread message count in the title bar. By default, it is displayed following the "Polarbar Mailer - " part of the title bar text as a convenience for those users that want to have their window manager lock Polarbar in all virtual screens, which typically requires that the title bar text be constant up to the first occurrence of a dash. If you enable this setting, Polarbar will instead display the current unread message count as the first text in the title bar, which will usually allow you to see the current unread message count simply by looking at the window manager's task list.
    Default MIME/UUENCODE as the method of encoding attached files
    This setting lets you specify whether you want the compose window's Attachments menu setting to default to Mime or UUencode.
    The Cleanup Page
    Maintain the Transaction Log
    With this checkbox turned on, the program will monitor the size of the message transaction log file and remove the oldest entries in order to make it adhere to the Maximum Number of Log Items setting. This action is taken each time you close an account, either by switching to another account or by closing the program.
    Maximum Number of Log Items
    If the Maintain the Transaction Log setting is turned on, the program will remove the oldest entries from the message transaction log file in order to keep only this number of entries in the file.
    Maintain the Trash Folder
    With this checkbox turned on, the program will monitor the size of the TRASH folder and delete the messages that have been in it the longest, in order to make its size adhere to the Maximum Number of Trash Messages setting. This action is taken each time you close an account, either by switching to another account or by closing the program.
    Maximum Number of Trash Messages
    If the Maintain the Trash Folder setting is turned on, the program will delete from the TRASH folder the messages which have been in it the longest in order to keep only this number of messages in the folder.
    Copy Discarded Messages to the Trash Folder
    With this setting turned on, the program will copy deleted messages to the TRASH folder. If this setting is not turned on, messages will be permanently removed from the drive with no backup. Note also that with this setting enabled, sent messages will be saved to trash if no sent folder is selected.
    Persist Java console output to debug file
    Used for diagnostic purposes, this setting sends various messages about internal operations and error messages to a file named DEBUG.OUT in the Polarbar main directory. Normally this setting is off.
    Max log size in kilobytes before archiving
    Enabled only when Persist Java console is checked, this setting determines how large the diagnostic file can grow to. Once this size is reached, it is either truncated if the next setting (number of archives) is 0 or it is archived and then truncated.
    Number of log archives to keep
    Enabled only when Persist Java console is checked, this setting determines how many diagnostic files are kept. An archive file is created only when the diagnostic file reaches the pre-defined max log size setting above. Any number of archived files can be maintained, limited only by disk space.
    Number of status message lines to keep for viewing
    This setting determines how far back you can view status line messages that are ovewritten over time. Status line messages are the ones that show the number of messages downloaded and how many notes were filtered, etc. The default is 100 lines. Entering a larger number for this value may result in increased memory usage and should be adjusted with care.
    Number of Java console lines to keep for viewing
    This setting determines how far back you can view standard Java console messages that are redirected by Polarbar when it starts. Java console messages usually only occur when errors or diagnostic messages are produced by Polarbar error handling routines. The default is 1000 lines. Entering a larger number for this value may result in increased memory usage and should be adjusted with care.
    The News Page

    If your only use of internet newsgroups is by web sites such as http://www.dejanews.com or http://www.hotbot.com, you don't need a news reader application. Those web sites let you read all the newsgroup postings you want and they even let you write a reply, but not easily. The Polarbar Mailer provides an easy way to write newsgroup postings and replies so you can interact with such web sites in both directions without using a full-fledged news reader. To write an original posting, just type NEWS: and the newsgroup name as the addressee, in the compose window. To reply to a posting on a newsgroup web site, see Paste quoted.

    News Server
    The address of your news server.
    Note: If you don't want to use the Polarbar news posting feature, you should leave the New Server field blank in order to avoid occasional Paste Quoted oddities where Polarbar thinks that you are trying to reply to a news message.
    Port Number
    Usually 119, the port number to which the news server will respond.
    Interpret addresses containing a period (.) but no (@) as newsgroups
    If you leave this setting on, then you don't have to type NEWS: before a newsgroup name in the Addresses: field of the compose window. The program will assume that any address that has a period without an @ sign is a newsgroup and will send the message using your news server. (If the message also has other addressees that don't look like newsgroup names, the program will send the message to those addressees using the SMTP or POP3 server; it will only send the message to the news server for those addressees that look like newsgroup names.)
    Note: This setting applies to you even if you never want to use the Polarbar Mailer for newsgroup postings or replies. If you need to be able to send an email message to an address which does not contain an @ sign but does contain a period (for example, another user at your own domain so that you want to leave off the @ sign and the domain name, but his username has a period in it), then you have to turn this setting off or else the program will always try to send that message to your news server (and if you don't have your news server setting filled in, the program is going to prompt you for it at send time). With this setting turned off, the program will never try to send anything to the news server unless you type NEWS: in front of the address in the compose window.
    The PGP Page

    This page lets you configure Polarbar for use with PGP for signing, encrypting, decrypting and verification of mail messages.

    PGP Public Keyring
    Enter the path to your PGP public keyring or use the Find button to locate it.
    PGP Secret Keyring
    Enter the path to your PGP secret keyring or use the Find button to locate it.
    PGP ID
    Enter your PGP ID here or locate it using the find button.
    PGP Passphrase
    Only type your PGP passphrase here if you want it to be stored in Polarbar's account settings file, using weak encryption. If you don't type your passphrase here, then each time you start Polarbar, you will be prompted for your passphrase the first time that Polarbar might need it since the time you started Polarbar. If you do enter your passphrase here, you can test it using the Test button. If you are worried about leaving your passphrase in memory, you can clear it by selecting Tools->PGP->Clear PGP Passphrase