PROCEDURES FOR ARCHIVING E-MAIL

For Netscape Navigator 3.0

As of May 29, 2000 (Go To Base Research Document OR Index of Names)

This document attempts to document how to archive E-Mail folders. It applies directly to the Netscape Navigator Browser 3.0 (under windows 3.1) and 4.7 (under Windows 95). Whether it applies to other browsers, is not currently known.

HOW E-MAIL IS MAINTAINED:

The E-Mail Directory (known as "MAIL" and it is a sub-directory) as the term is known and used by the File Manager contains two "files" for each of the Mail folders where FOLDER is the term used and known in the Navigator MAIL process. All mail messages are found in one folder (the two files). Copies may exist in other folders, but a given message exists in one and only one folder. The two files (File Manager term) that make up a Folder (Mail term) are 1) the file in which the actual text of the mail is preserved (not text readable but packed) and 2) an index or table of contents file that in some manner contains the file name and a pointer (probably a displacement) to the file text as found in the other file. The file name for each file is the folder name. The text-contents file has no extension while the extension for the index file is "SNM". THE TWO FILES MAKING UP A DIRECTORY MUST BE KEPT TOGETHER!

ACTUAL ARCHIVING

Archiving of mail messages MUST take place one folder at a time. NOTE, TO RESTORE MAIL FROM THE ARCHIVE TO THE USABLE DIRECTORY, SEE STEP IV BELOW.

1. Locate the mail archive diskette for the ZIP drive. It has an internal label of "MAILARCHIVE" and an external label of (ARCHIVE) with a directory of \worldnet\mail. All file pairs representing individual mail folders are found in this mail sub-directory of the worldnet directory of this archive disk. If the pair of files representing the active folder for which some messages are to be archived exists in this directory, skip to step III below.

   If the folder containing messages to be archived, does not exist in the archive mail directory of the ZIP diskette, perform step II.

2. This series of steps applies when the folder containing mail to be archived does not have a counterpart in the mail sub-directory of the MAILARCHIVE labeled ZIP-DRIVE diskette.
   1. If the mail folder contains ONLY messages to be archived (all messages in the folder are to be archived), skip to step II.3 below.

   2. While in the MAIL process of the browser, create a temporary folder with a special and unique name (for example: XYZ). In the folder containing messages to be archived, select those message THAT ARE NOT TO BE ARCHIVED. Using MESSAGE | MOVE transfer the selected messages to the temporary folder. The folder containing messages to be archived now contains only messages to be archived.

   3. Minimize the Mail process (and the main browser process if necessary) and return to the Program Manager. Activate the file manager and display two file manager windows: one displaying the MAIL sub directory from the MAILARCHIVE diskette and the other the MAIL sub-directory in the operating browser directory (AT&T or WORLDNET). Select the two files representing the folder containing the messages to be archived. Drag and drop (Copy) the two files to the archive MAIL sub-directory leaving the original pair of files intact.

   4. Minimize the file manager (it will be needed again) and return to the Browser's mail process. Select the files just archived and delete them. Select the files that were moved to the temporary folder and move them back to the now empty folder. Depending upon whether there are more folders containing messages to be archived, the temporary folder may now be removed.

   5. If there are more messages to be archived, return to step I above.

3. This series of steps applies when the folder containing mail to be archived has an identically named counterpart in the mail sub-directory of the MAILARCHIVE labeled ZIP-DRIVE diskette. It applies ONLY to one folder.
   1. Minimize the browser's mail process (and, if necessary, the browser's main process). Activate the File Manager. Display two file manager windows: one displaying the MAIL sub directory from the MAILARCHIVE diskette and the other the MAIL sub-directory in the operating browser directory (AT&T or WORLDNET). Select, from the MAILARCHIVE display, the two files representing the folder containing the messages to be archived. Using the FILE | COPY command, copy (do not drag and drop) the two files to the browser mail directory USING A TEMPORARY FILE NAME (e.g. XYZ)!

   2. Minimize the file manager and return to the Browser's mail process. In the folder containing the messages to be archived, select only those messages to be archived. Using MESSAGE | Move, transfer the messages to be archived to the temporary folder.

   3. Minimize the Browser's mail process and return to the File manager. Select the two files representing the temporary folder. Using the FILE | COPY command, transfer (replace) the original archive files (in the MAILARCHIVE diskette) with the temporary files/folder. (Remember to use the original name as the destination). Delete the temporary folder's files.

   4. If there are more messages to be archived, return to step I above.

   RECOVERING ARCHIVED MAIL

4. To restore archived mail to the Mail process - and assuming the folder into which the archived mail messages are to be returned for processing exists):
   1. Minimize the browser's mail process (and, if necessary, the browser's main process). Activate the File Manager. Display two file manager windows: one displaying the MAIL sub directory from the MAILARCHIVE diskette and the other the MAIL sub-directory in the operating browser directory (AT&T or WORLDNET). Select, from the MAILARCHIVE display, the two files representing the folder containing the messages to be returned from archive. Using the FILE | COPY command, copy the two files to the browser mail directory USING A TEMPORARY FILE NAME (e.g. XYZ)!

   2. Minimize the file manager and return to the Browser's mail process. In the temporary folder (containing the messages to be returned), select only those messages to be returned. Using MESSAGE | Move, transfer the messages to be returned from the temporary folder to the folder in which they are to be processed.

   3. Minimize the Browser's mail process and return to the File manager. Select and delete the two files representing the temporary folder.

   4. If there are more messages to be returned, return to step IV above.