As from v5.10.2, this feature is temporarily disabled, pending new network interface code. In the interim, it is suggested to use Simplenote sync. Simplenote includes a reliable email interface whose input can then be synched from Simplenote to Tinderbox.
The user may email data directly to a Tinderbox document. (This feature has particular interest for iPhone users, who can easily email snippets to key Tinderbox files)
A Tinderbox file may be connected to its own POP3 mailbox, which it will check when opened (and again when the Fetch Now button of the Network Status pane is pressed). The mailbox should be dedicated to this Tinderbox document, as it deletes messages after Tinderbox reads them.
A new Mail Preferences Pane in Document Preferences allows you to turn the current TBX document's mail checking on or off (default is off), and to specify:
- the address of the email (POP3) server
- the user account (usually the full email address)
- password for the above email account.
Tinderbox creates a new container /Mail (i.e. at root level in the TBX), and adds new notes for each message in the mailbox. The notes are then deleted from the server (this is a natural by-product of using a POP3 server to draw down mail). Do not move or rename the container as Tinderbox will simply create a new container in the original location.
The $Email attributes of email notes contain the 'From' address of the email.
You may drag notes from /Mail and place them anywhere in your Tinderbox document - they are now Tinderbox valid notes.
Limitations:
- only plain text email is currently supported but email that contains encoded non-English characters (RFC 2047) are decoded.
- attachments and MIME/HTML email bodies may be ignored.
- proxy servers and alternate ports are not currently supported.
- N.B. Email services requiring non-default ports are a common cause of being unable to get this feature to work.
You may choose to include an action, in your inbound email, that will set the new (emailed) note's $Container attribute on arrival. Thus, when Tinderbox receives an email it scans the subject and the message body for instructions of the form:
Tinderbox: /path-to-(or)-inbox-container
…or…
Tinderbox: /path-to-(or)-inbox container [action code]
The first argument (a path) specifies a container in which the mail is to be stored If the container does not exist, it will be created. The argument is a TB path string so can be anywhere within the TBX, as long as correctly specified, and not just as sub-containers of the default 'mail' container. If a TBX's note names are not unique it will be necessary to cite as much of the path to the target container as is necessary to give a unique path.
Tinderbox: /longer/unique/path/to/inbox
From experiment with the Path parameter:
- Path cannot be more than one level deep
- Path must not be enclosed in quote
- Path cannot contain spaces
- Path must be included if optional action code is also specified
- All data must be on a single line which must not exceed 78 characters (including the "Tinderbox: " marker).
The optional second argument (action code), specifies an action that will be applied to the newly-created note. If the second argument is used, the first argument is mandatory; for the default location use the path '/Mail'.
An example, using both arguments:
Tinderbox: /UrgentMail [$Color="red";]
will save the note in "UrgentMail" instead of "Mail", and will also set its $Color to Tinderbox defined colour "red". Note that in this case the use of the [ ] brackets is explicit, and isn't simply an editorial device to indicate the argument is optional. Put another way, you must use square brackets around the second argument otherwise Tinderbox can't parse out the action code and apply it as intended.