Access e-mail in offline mode
Many e-mail clients can be placed in "offline mode" at times when the mail server or network is not available. Clients have varying levels of support, but essentially they allow the user to compose, delete, and sort messages without a connection to the mail server. As soon as the client leaves offline mode, all actions taken while offline are "replayed" on the server and new received messages are retrieved. This synchronizes the two.
Offline mode is commonly used with computers that do not have a constant connection to the Internet. Examples include laptops that are used on the road and computers on dial-up connections when only one phone line is present.
Apple Mail
Apple Mail contains full support for offline mode. To enable offline mode, select "Go Offline" from the Mailbox menu. To return to online mode, select "Go Online" from the Mailbox menu.
While in offline mode, server-side mailboxes are grayed out in the Drawer -- the folder list that slides out of the main viewer window.
To use offline mode to its fullest extent, you must tell Apple Mail to download all messages and their attachments. If you do not, you may receive errors indicating "The message... has not been downloaded from the server," in place of the message body. Follow these steps to enable automatic message downloading:
- Select "Preferences..." from the Mail menu. The Preferences window will appear.
- Click the "Accounts" button in the Preferences toolbar. Your account list will appear in the Preferences window.
- Double-click your account in the list. A sheet will appear showing the "Account Information" tab.
- Click the "Advanced" tab.
- Select "All messages and their attachments" from the popup menu below "Keep copies of messages for offline viewing. Alternately, you may select "All messages, but omit attachments" from the list. This will limit Apple Mail's offline functionality, but speed download times.
- Click the "OK" button.
- Close the Preferences window.
Microsoft Outlook Express 5
Outlook Express 5 supports offline mode. To go offline select "Work Offline" from the file menu. A check mark will appear next to "Work Offline" indicating that you are in offline mode. To return to online mode select the "Work Offline" menu item again.
While in offline mode, the following message will be present in the bottom right corner of Outlook Express' main window:
During offline mode, you are only able to read messages that have been downloaded. The download status of a message is indicated by the "Online Status" column in the message list, seen here at the far left of the window.
Messages that have been downloaded have a full envelope in the "Online Status" column. These messages can be read offline. Messages with a partial envelope (ie. "Lunch on Tuesday," the first item) cannot be read offline. Clicking on a partially-downloaded message will display the following dialog box:
Clicking "Work Online" will bring Outlook Express into online mode. Clicking "Override" will connect to the server to download this message only, but otherwise remain in offline mode. Both of these options require a connection to the Internet. Click "Cancel" if you do not have an Internet connection.
Netscape Communicator 4.8
Netscape Communicator supports offline mode for both e-mail and Web browsing. While offline, the user will be able to open HTML files stored on the local machine or view Web pages already opened in Navigator, but will not be able to load new Web pages.
To go offline, select "Offline" from the File menu and select "Work Offline" from the "Offline" submenu. Alternately, click the blue connection icon in the lower left of any window to toggle offline mode.
To go online, either select "Offline" from the File menu and select "Work Online", click the connection icon in the lower left of any window, or select "Offline" from the FIle menu and select "Synchronize Now" from the offline submenu. The "Synchronize Now" option will allow the user to quickly send and recieve mail and then return to offline mode.
