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Want to "edit message as new" from a sent message so a new recipient can get it, w some slight changes....

  • 5 replies
  • 3 have this problem
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  • Last reply by jimblake

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In the old Thunderbird, I could open an e-mail from my Sent folder, and click "edit message as new", and then I could change the recipient, or any of the contents of this message to send it to someone else. I am trying to send similar, not identical e-mails to many recipients and do not want to start new each time. Using Forward is not acceptable, as it makes the recipient not feel unique.

thanks! cartanya

In the old Thunderbird, I could open an e-mail from my Sent folder, and click "edit message as new", and then I could change the recipient, or any of the contents of this message to send it to someone else. I am trying to send similar, not identical e-mails to many recipients and do not want to start new each time. Using Forward is not acceptable, as it makes the recipient not feel unique. thanks! cartanya

Chosen solution

I understand you not wanting to re-type everything.

You need to right click on the sent email in the list, to see a drop down context menu and then select 'Edit as new message'. OR select the email 'Message' > 'Edit as new Message'

This will open a new Write message window and the email will appear identical to the one you sent. So you would need to remove and add preferred email addresses in the TO fields. Modify content and click on 'Send'.

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Chosen Solution

I understand you not wanting to re-type everything.

You need to right click on the sent email in the list, to see a drop down context menu and then select 'Edit as new message'. OR select the email 'Message' > 'Edit as new Message'

This will open a new Write message window and the email will appear identical to the one you sent. So you would need to remove and add preferred email addresses in the TO fields. Modify content and click on 'Send'.

Modified by Toad-Hall

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Thank you! ah yes, those hidden menus.....

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But I send an email distribution list and I don't want to delete each single entry. How do I make them all go away? It use to be fine and I would have no cc or bcc or to names in the listing. Why does it include them now? I am using release 38.3.0

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jimblake -

I don't understand exactly what your question is (making mass mailings perhaps), and you don't tell us what platform (Windows, MAC, etc.) you're using, but here are two tricks I've used before with several Windows avatars of TB that sounds a little like what you're looking for.

1) Compose your basic e-mail message without addresses using the WRITE command in the menu bar. Then click the ARROW next to SAVE in the menu bar. Then click TEMPLATE.

(HINT: Represent missing data in the MESSAGE BODY like names or salutations with ZZZ. ZZZ is easy to recognize as you're editing, and acts as an efficient place marker where data is missing and needs to be inserted.)

Later, when you want to use your template as the foundation for another mailing, click the template folder (in my installation, under LOCAL FOLDERS), then right-click the template [that you want if you have several]. In the drop-down menu, click Edit As New Message, and you're on your way.

Add your desired address(es) Add/edit the subject. Edit the message body as appropriate. (Look for ZZZ!) When finished, click SEND as you would any other posting.

2) Or, if you want to merely copy a previously sent posting, find the source posting in your folder tree. Click its entry in the LISTING OF MESSAGE HEADERS (in my installation, the top panel) once to get it displayed in the PREVIEW PANEL (in my installation, under the listing of message headers). Click anywhere in the preview panel displaying the message you want to copy, then perform a <Ctrl>-A (select all) and <Ctrl>-C (copy selected items).

Now, click WRITE in the menu bar. You should get a new, blank message window. Click in the panel where you would normally type your message and press <Ctrl>-V (paste). The full body text of the source posting should magically appear. But, there should be no entries in the address fields and nothing in the subject line.

Add your desired address(es) Add the subject. Edit the message body as appropriate. When finished, click SEND as you would any other posting.

WARNING: There are several potential pitfalls with these tricks. (Pay attention here! This is experience talking!)

1) You forget to edit the recipient list and send your posting to people who shouldn't have received it. (As you sit there red-faced, looking at the return comments and rejoinders.)

2) You fail to religiously read every word in the new message before sending it, and thereby really humiliate yourself by sending something completely inappropriate to the new addressees. THIS IS A PARTICULARLY COMMON AND SUPER-POTENT FAUX PAS WHEN USING THE COPY-AND-PASTE METHOD.

3) You fail to ferret out all the ZZZ entries and replace them with valid text. (And that makes you look really retarded!)

4) You accidentally open the wrong template or source message and send the wrong posting to everybody. (For the next three weeks you're going to have to be fending off queries about what your message was all about and why the recipient got it.)

YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.

Hope this helps.

Stan

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Thanks for the help. I've gotten it to work again and I'm not sure why it didn't work. I'm on Windows 10 if that helps anyone else. I had three listings of 50 people each to send the message to via bcc. Rather than copy and pasting from the first sent message, I could right click on the same message sent to me (I included my email address in each list to make sure all three were sent) and could then right click on the message and get "edit as new message". This worked fine for a long time then just started including all the BCC's in the message. The method works again now but if it fails I will then go directly to your suggestion.