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Enoch

Aug 16 2010, 02:38 AM

Hi Jeff & all,

I need a tip for generating automated replies to senders who use my old e-mail address. I have my old account with Mail.com (= AOL these days) configured to forward all messages to my new address which is hosted on my own webhosting account and MX-ed to my Google Apps account, which I'm operating from Mail.app with Purify configured to use the Applescript / IMAP method. I've noted that I can create a rule in Mail.app that would generate the auto reply, but ...

Now the problem: I don't want spammers to receive my automated message telling them my new address. If I understand correctly (??):
• putting the reply rule before the Purify rule would mean the reply would happen before Purify gets its hands on the message
• putting the reply rule after the Purify rule would mean nothing happens because the Purify rule ends with the "stop evaluating" action.

Is that correct, or am I still not understanding how Mail.app rules work?

If I am correct, can someone suggest a not-too-geeky way of doing what I want... Applescript? (but I'm not very geeky) .. Automator? .. Mail Act-On? (which I bought recently) .. other??

Thanks.

Jeff Hendrickson

Aug 17 2010, 04:47 PM

You are spot on! You could write an AppleScript to autorespond, and call it separately, or put it right into your Purify AppleScript.

Enoch

Aug 20 2010, 05:15 AM

Thanks, Jeff.

Well I cribbed a script from another forum thread and adapted it to this for my purpose:

CODE

using terms from application "Mail"
    on perform mail action with messages theMessages for rule theRule
        tell application "Mail"
            repeat with thisMessage in theMessages
                set AppleScript's text item delimiters to {""}
                set thisSender to sender of theMessages

                set theNewMessage to reply thisMessage with opening window
                tell theNewMessage
                    set content to "This is an automated reply. Hey, nonny, nonny no .... .

Thankyou,
Lance"
                end tell

                send theNewMessage

            end repeat
        end tell
    end perform mail action with messages
end using terms from

Can you or someone please now tell me whether that looks right, and would work with Mail 4.3 (10.6).

And also - if I make it a separate script - how to configure the rule that calls it and where to where to put the rule in relation to the Purify one (and whether / how to modify the Purify rule).

Or - if I wanted to incorporate the above into the Purify script - where I should paste it in the Purify script and what I'd need to modify.

Thanks.

Jeff Hendrickson

Aug 20 2010, 08:37 PM

Cool! You are brave. Lemme know if you get this working! You could put this in the Purify script, or use another ...

Enoch

Aug 21 2010, 02:27 AM

Sure - but I'm looking for some advice on the detail of how to do that (please re-read previous post .. the last bit after the code)

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