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MailRules can automate your file transfers for purposes such as backup or to providing ensured updates of information. In this topic, we will examine methods & uses for MailRules to provide simple file transfer in differing scenarios.
We start by creating an Outbound Rule by clicking the Add button on the Outbound Rule menu. MailRules shows us a blank Outbound Rule, the first thing we do is change the Rule Name to be more meaningful.
Next, we enter the recipients e-mail addresses into To:. In the subject field we enter the words "File backup," and then click the Subject button, from the popup menu we select Date YYYYMMDD.
Now, we click What to specify the file we wish to backup. We click Add File.. and browse to the file that we wish to transmit.
If the file we are desirous of transmitting is a large file, we might chose to compress ("zip") the file before transmitting: to do this, we select the Send Files Zipped option. After selecting this option, we are asked to specify a name for the compressed ("zipped") file - the file (or files) we have selected will be compressed into a single file with this name.
Now we specify when this file transfer is to take place, click When. Under When, we can create a schedule for sending - there can be many times we might need to send this file, in the case of this example, we might like to perform this backup every working day at 23:30 (this is late enough at night to ensure that the nightowls have left the building). Clicking Add allows us to enter our send schedule.
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Now we click OK and the Rule is complete
What will happen now: Every working day, at 23:30, the file we have selected will be compressed and e-mailed to the recipient we have specified. The flag, YYYYMMDD, that we appended to our subject will become the date of transfer when the Rule is actually sent; for example, if the Rule is sent on the 22nd November, 2001, then the subject will read "File backup 20011122". The "backwards" format is used because it can be meanginfully sorted. If disaster struck and we needed our backed-up file, we could quickly reference the most recent.
In this scenario, we will demonstrate how to transfer a document from our "office" location to "home". We have worked on this file during the day and, being the committed member of the firm that we are, we want to continue working at home. It is therefore essential to ensure that the changes we make at home are returned to the office and vice versa.
We start by creating an Outbound Rule by clicking the Add button on the Outbound Rule menu. MailRules shows us a blank Outbound Rule, the first thing we do is change the Rule Name to be more meaningful.
Next, we enter the recipients e-mail addresses into To: (in this scenario, the e-mail address is that of our "home" account). In the subject field we enter the words "Daily file update."
Now, we click What to specify the file we wish to backup. We click Add File.. and browse to the file that we wish to transmit.
Now, to specify when this file transfer is to take place we click When. If we assume that we leave the office at approximately 17:30, but might stay longer on occasion, we are better to schedule the dispatch of this file to 18:00, Monday thru Friday.
Now we click OK and the Rule is complete.
Of course, we have installed MailRules at home, so we would want to automatically retrieve this file from our mailbox and store it locally for us to work with. At home, under the Inbound Rule menu, we Add a Rule. MailRules shows us a blank Inbound Rule, the first thing we do is change the Rule Name to be more meaningful.
Now, we enter "Daily file update" into the Subject field and we enter the filename into Attached Files.
Now, we need to tell MailRules where the file should be stored. Under Storage, we indicate where we would like the file to be saved, using the Alias button, we select My Documents.
To complete the Rule, since we're working on a Microsoft Word document, we may as well immediately launch Word with the file and have it waiting for us to continue work. This can be done under Run App., where we browse to the Word application (Winword.exe). To immediately show the file we have received, we can click the Attachment button and select the flag <<filename>>, our application now reads "c:\program files\office\winword.exe <<filename>>".
Now we click OK and the Rule is complete.
Of course, we need to tell MailRules when the file is going to arrive, so we need to set a Check Time. Under the Check Times menu, we select Advanced. In the Advanced Scheduling dialog, we enter Monday thru Friday at 18:15 (which is long enough for our e-mail to spend some time floating about in the Internet ether) and click OK.
What will happen now: At our office location, at 17:30, Monday thru Friday, the file will be e-mailed to our home address. Meanwhile, at home, every day at 18:15, MailRules will dial the Internet, find the message and store the file to our local disk. Having done this, it will launch Word with the file we have received.
Being loyal & dilligent employees, we worked on the file e-mailed to us and now wish to ensure that it is duly returned to the office for the following day. As you have probably guessed, this is an identical procedure to the one outlined in step 2: the only difference is the timing.
To return the document to the office from our home, we would probably have an identical Outbound Rule, but scheduled to transmit at 06:00. Meanwhile, in the office, we would have a totally identical Inbound Rule, but a Check Time set to 06:30.
In this topic you have seen: