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Display Configuration Inconsistant
 
#1
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I have spent hours trying to set display settings and having them hold.
1. Descending Order: Although I have Generic View Mode set to "Descending order", when I open a new account and select View->Global View Mode->Generic View Mode, after setting up an account, I still have to go back into View->Global View Mode->Manage View Modes->Generic View Mode->Edit and re-select the descending order checkbox. I would assume that, once Generic View Mode is set, I should be able to just set it for a new account. Seems like some settings hold, others (such as Descending order) do not.

2. Days: I have the default display configuration set to sort by days of week, yet the programs seems to be inconsistent, and, upon opening an account, The display will - more often then not - open in "Last Week", in Ascending order and the select bar will be at the very bottom. I change the current account display to Today, in Descending order, then go to another account and come back top that account, it will be back to Ascending order.

Question 1:  I have 54 accounts to set up. I've been programming for over 20 years. Assuming the above are not programming flaws, how do I set up a default configuration that works so that displays will consistently open in today's mail, in descending order, by date received, so that a) I do not have to go through all the configuration windows to set up each account the same as the others and b) All setting work - consistently, every time?

3. Sidebar: Currently, each new account has its own Inbox; Outbox; Sent Mail; Trash. I am not asking for an explanation of how to do the following (unless someone would like to - I just haven't found how to do it if it is possible), I just need to know if it is possible.

Question 2: Is it possible to set up the sidebar in at least one of the follow scenarios:
a. One Trash folder for all accounts and one Outbox for all accounts.
b.  A set of custom folders ONLY - with the exception of Trash and Outbox mentioned above, each holding mail received according to specified "From" or "To" criteria.
OR
c. Both a and b above on top, with the individual account files below that.
OR
d. If a is not possible, b, with the individual account folders below the custom sort folders.

Information would be very much appreciated. I have not purchased this product yet. I've tried other products. The Bat appears to have what I need, but these basic display and sort matters are of extreme importance, and I cannot seem to implement them.

Question 3: What is this blank "Connection Center" that keeps consistently popping up?
Edited: Gonzo Far - 20 February 2018 03:04:02 (Highlight paragraph)
 
 
 
#2
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Gonzo Far wrote:

[..] how do I set up a default configuration that works so that displays will consistently open in today's mail, in descending order, by date received, [..]

That's what I have, and I simply use "(No view mode)".

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a.  One Trash folder for all accounts and one Outbox for all accounts.

Shared outboxes or trash folders are not possible to my knowledge.

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b.   A set of custom folders ONLY - with the exception of Trash and Outbox mentioned above, each holding mail received according to specified "From" or "To" criteria.

You could set up a common folder (Folder | New) and use filters to copy or move messages there. Or a common virtual folder that watches the messages from your accounts based on your criteria.

To change its location in the account tree, select it and use Ctrl-Alt-Arrows.

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Question 3:  What is this blank "Connection Center" that keeps consistently popping up?

It pops up when The Bat contacts mailservers to send and receive mail, allowing you to see how that's going. Workspace | Show Connection Center | Hide if you prefer not to see it.
I volunteer as a moderator to help keep the forum tidy. I do not work for Ritlabs SRL.
 
 
 
#3
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My observation is that you're attempting to learn TB! based on experience with other email clients. To fully appreciate TB!, I recommend you abandon other experiences; TB! just works differently and has strengths not in others - but that makes it more complex to learn. For example, I can't imagine using one view mode for everything. For example, my Inbox doesn't show 'TO" (because I know it's to me) and my Sent folder doesn't show 'FROM' (because I know it's from me). I set up specific views and apply them to certain folders. On your various questions, I think use of virtual folders and filters should address most (all?) of your concerns. But learning TB! takes time. I've been using for a year and there is so much I don't know. Good luck,
david  
 
 
 
#4
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Daniel -
1. "No View" mode does not work at all. I have a good number of mailboxes to set up and I need a default mode that I can just select for most of the settings. This include what columns will show, the width of the columns, the order, and the field that order is based on. I can set all that in the Generic View Mode. The columns displayed and WHAT columns are displayed hold. The descending order based on date created and opening up in "Today", for instance, do not.

Perhaps the problem is that I am trying to customize the Generic View Mode. I have not yet tried setting up a custom view mode.

Thanks for the other answers
Edited: Gonzo Far - 21 February 2018 05:11:33
 
 
 
#5
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David -
Certainly, a Sent Items folder is going to differ from an incoming folder.. I realize The Bat offers a great amount of flexibility. That is why I am exploring it. I have been using varied e-mail clients since before the World Wide Web even existed. I handle a large number of accounts for different businesses and varied clients. Consistency in views is extremely important. What I expect in a client is what I expect and, if I can't find it, I will have to move on and that would be a great disappointment, wh ere this client is concerned, as there is so much I like about it.

The flexibility is not daunting to me, but I need to figure out if this client will or will not do what I need. The views I expect are pretty basic really and have more to do with ease of use than what this or that other client does or does not do.

Case in point - this client does not seem to have the ability, when I open a new message, to select the "From" account. Not only that, there is no indication in the heading of the New Message window as to what account I am in. I should not have to focus on a particular account in order to send fr om that account. If that is the case, this client will not work for me, as it is 1) inconvenient and 2) prone to error. I cannot risk sending a message on behalf of one client with a return address that belongs to another.  
Edited: Gonzo Far - 21 February 2018 05:02:30 (unwanted spaces)
 
 
 
#6
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The columns displayed and WHAT columns are displayed hold. The descending order based on date created and opening up in "Today", for instance, do not.

Not sure what you mean by "in Today" - you must be using a different kind of view or different time format than I do- but have you tried simply clicking on the desired column header to change the sort order, and then see if it sticks? It always does for me (in the meantime I have noticed that most of my folders actually use the Generic View after all).

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Case in point - this client does not seem to have the ability, when I open a new message, to sel ect the "From" account.

Just click on whatever is in the from field and you can edit it, or choose from the pulldown menu that has now appeared to the right.

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Not only that, there is no indication in the heading of the New Message window as to what account I am in.

Look in the middle of the footer of your editing window. Click on that account name and you can choose one of your other accounts (doing so will also change the from field to the default value for the chosen account). An amazing number of features and settings in The Bat are accessible through a simple left or right mouse click at the appropriate place.
Edited: Daniel van Rooijen - 21 February 2018 07:30:56 ((damned spaces))
I volunteer as a moderator to help keep the forum tidy. I do not work for Ritlabs SRL.
 
 
 
#7
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I have the display set to group by day, so you have Today, Yesterday, etc., and have the preferences on order by Date Created, in descending order But, if I close the client and reopen, or even, sometimes (more often then not, but not always) when I change the focus to another account, then go back to the previous account, the date/times are in ascending order again and the expanded day is "Yesterday" and everything else (Today, Last Week, etc.) is collapsed.
I thought maybe this was because I was using the generic view mode, so I created a custom mode, but still have the same problem. And, when I focus on an account, and go to View->Global View Mode, the check mark might be on my custom view mode, or it might be back on "No View". I can't seem to find any consistent steps to determine when the checkmark might be on one or the other and, even it the checkmark is on my custom view mode, the sort order will be back to ascending order. Checking the custom view mode, the checkbox for descending order is still checked, but it apparently has no effect. Sorry to be so wordy, but I want to be clear.

FROM Field: That's interesting. Good to know you have a From field. I have none at all, but that must mean there's a setting somewhere that I am overlooking.
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Look in the middle of the footer
Ah ha! Funny - never thought to look there, and clicking on it brings up a dropdown. A little inconvenient, but workable. Do you have a From field above the "To" field, or is this the only option I have?

Thanks for your help, Daniel!

Of course, still problem # 1. At this point, due to its inconsistency, I'm beginning to think this is a bug.
How are your views sorted?
Do they come up sorted properly when you first open the client?
 
 
 
#8
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Gonzo Far wrote:
I have the display set to group by day, so you have Today, Yesterday, etc.,

I don't use that option, and I don't see the problems that you are seeing, so perhaps it's related to this group-by-day setting. Or you may have a wider problem of The Bat seemingly not remembering which view to apply to which folder -- have you checked the Properties | General | Column Settings of the affected accounts and folders to see if one setting might be overriding another? Of course it might turn out to be a bug, in which case you may want to report it to Ritlabs (through 'Support' here on the site).

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FROM Field: That's interesting. Good to know you have a From field. I have none at all, but that must mean there's a setting somewhere that I am overlooking.

Yes, and I've got Reply-To, BCC and Follow Up as well. Just right-click on any of the field names to the left to sel ect which ones you want to see.

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Do you have a From field above the "To" field, or is this the only option I have?

I have a separate From field in the header shown above the message, along with those other fields that I mentioned. The From field and the chosen Account are two separate things; if your mail provider doesn't object, you can put whatever you want in the Fr om field, regardless of the account.
Edited: Daniel van Rooijen - 21 February 2018 09:05:40 ((somehow I can't remove two annoying redundant spaces))
I volunteer as a moderator to help keep the forum tidy. I do not work for Ritlabs SRL.
 
 
 
#9
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have you checked the Properties | General | Column Settings
Yes. I have. Found some other settings, such as the font when creating a template. It will not save, but other information in the body of the template will. I'm wondering if it has to do with where I set up the directories. Maybe it's storing things in one place and being forced to look for them elsewhere. If its storing in the registry, I don't know why it would be having a problem - no other software problems on my computer.
I've searched the forums and don't find similar complaints, so maybe I'll just delete it and reinstall.

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which ones you want to see.
I've been selecting the "From" field, but it doesn't appear. I can get "Reply To" or anything else to appear when checked, but not the From field. It will stay checked, but it won't appear. Of course, Reply To changes the reply to, but not the From field. Really weird how some things work and others don't.
Edited: Gonzo Far - 21 February 2018 09:53:46 (clarity)
 
 
 
#10
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Actually, the From field was appearing. It was just appearing below the viewing area, so I have to scroll to view it. Odd - even if I get it down to just To, Subject and From, it will still be below the viewing area, as the viewing area height will decrease when I remove other fields.

One thing I was missing when I created a custom view is, in the view editing screen, there is a button called "Use By". You have to click that button and select the folders you want to use that view. Still, alas, it didn't solve the problems.

I'm not finding similar complaints in this forum, so I'm going to go ahead and purchase this thing and hope these problems can be resolved. Been playing around with folders a bit, and I can get the sidebar close enough to what I want to be satisfactory. Maybe even better. Seems to be a lot of flexibility there.  
 
 
 
#11
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Apparently, this was a bug and may have only occurred in the 64-bit version (I'm guessing on this). Upgrading to v8.2.8 solved the descending date order problem.

The problem with the date/group not opening with "Today" expanded is that The Bat will open to the last message you opened. To me this is an inconvenience and currently there is no option to turn it off. However, occasionally it may be a convenience. At any rate, a minor inconvenience.

Major problems solved. I am now a happy customer :)
Edited: Gonzo Far - 22 February 2018 21:22:41 (typo)
 
 
 
#12
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Good to hear, thanks for keeping us posted. It sounds like you're off to a pretty good start now! As to The Bat opening to the last viewed message, you may eventually get in the habit of moving the cursor to the top of the message list before closing the program, as I have.. :)
I volunteer as a moderator to help keep the forum tidy. I do not work for Ritlabs SRL.
 
 
 
#13
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Hi,

The Bat is certainly an amazingly flexible program.

I do have a common trash bin, so would like to tidy the view by removing the individual accounts' trash bins. They are not deletable.

It would be very useful to be able to make default account settings within TB! rather than to use the round-about method at present.

Cheers

DrT
 
 
 
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