MsgFiler: Quick filing plugin for Mail.app
Adam Tow has produced a plugin for Mail.app that offers an option for quickly filing messages.
It operates on the same principle as the QuickFile extension for Thunderbird and (for old-timers) the ’s’ keystroke in Pine (and maybe mutt too, unless memory fails me).
All you need to do is select the message to be filed. Press ⌘-9 or select “Move with MsgFiler” from the Message menu, and a dialog appears into which you start typing the name of the mailboxes while it matches what you type:
The down-arrow key selects the match and the message has gone, filed neatly away.
Alex King (WordPress developer and more 
) raves about it. He says it’s
an absolute must have add-on for Mail.app users that file messages. Trust me, this puppy will save you serious time every day. Go download it now, then come back here and read more of the back story.
I’m in two minds.
Whether or not this is useful for you will depend on your workflow. Mail Act-on rules for filing can be executed with a single keystroke. They are much faster than this. But I have pretty much abandoned folders. “One archive to kill them all and let Spotlight (and MailTags) sort ‘em out” is now my motto. Mail Act-on is the faster filing solution for people like me.
Still, some people like folders. I had an email from a Hawk Wings reader just the other day asking how to file things quickly into his more than 1,000 folders. This may be the plugin for him.
MsgFiler is shareware (USD 8 for a limited time, normally 12) and is available from the developer’s web site .
Bonus historical appendix
The phrase “Kill them all and let God sort ‘em out” has its origins in the Crusades.
During the Albigensian Crusade in 1209 CE against the Cathar heresy in Southern France, the forces of mainstream Catholicism were besieging the city of Beziers, defended by Cathar heretics. Finally they breached the walls of the city and prepared to storm it.
The commander of the crusade, Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, pointed out that not everybody in the city was a heretic, some of them were good Catholics, so how should they treat the inhabitants when they captured the city?
A monk who was actually present at the siege recorded the answer of the Papal Legate to the Crusaders and Abbot of Citeaux, Arnaud-Amaury, as Neca eos omnes. Deus suos agnoscet (”Kill them all. God will know his own.” ) The Crusaders followed his advice.
Wait a minute… Is this history or current affairs?
Tags: add-ons, Apple Mail, filing, folders, mail.app, plugins, ProductivityRelated posts
November 17th, 2006 at 3:57 am
so i downloaded and installed and it appears to work well, though i just pinged the dev because the actual ‘move’ process for a single message seems to be very, very slow…might be a glitch on my end, so please don’t assume it’s his tool…
November 17th, 2006 at 6:55 am
i just wanna add that the dude behind this is crazy responsive - i pinged him a couple of hours ago about my issue (now think it’s connected to my imported folders and not his plug in btw!) - within like 2 hours he added instructions for uninstall and speed notes related to imap (slower with imap because of the connection to server to query)…very cool
November 18th, 2006 at 3:36 am
Three cheers for the “Bonus Historical Appendix.” This micro history lesson just made my Friday. I love it, Tim!
December 13th, 2006 at 6:36 am
Yes, it’s very slow on IMAP — on my machine, it takes 15 seconds to launch, and 23 seconds from the time a folder is chosen until the time the message is moved. Having used the Quickfile extension for Thunderbird as well as things like LaunchBar and QuickSilver, I’d have to say that MsgFiler is too slow on IMAP to realize any productivity gains.
May 8th, 2007 at 11:58 am
FYI, on my system MsgFiler is just as fast as my typing over IMAP with about a hundred boxes. Both my ISP and my IMAP host are on fast connections.
December 31st, 2007 at 12:23 am
I agree with the explanation of Tim, but for me MsgFiler is a handy complement to Mail Act-On. I have a lot of folders (because I have to sort my emails for history reasons) and it isn’t convenient to set for all of them a rule or Mail Act-On rule. I use Mail Act-On for my most important and daily used folders, but I like to use MsgFiler for infrequently used folders or for folders with many sub-folders. Especially Version 2.0 of MsgFiler as a full integrated plug-in is for me one of my “must have”…
December 31st, 2007 at 12:32 am
I forgot: I haven’t any speed problems with MsgFiler Version 2.0 on IMAP. The plug-in is always ready, and to move emails in folders need only a few seconds.
June 21st, 2008 at 2:36 am
Thanks for the article. I’ve been looking for an efficient way to file messages in my large hierarchy of folders and MsgFiler fits the bill. I’m using the software to manage both local and IMAP folders and have found the performance to be excellent. I contacted the developer with a question and was very impressed with his responsiveness. I’ve paid my $8 to register (worth every penny) and am happy to include MsgFiler in my workflow.
June 21st, 2008 at 7:54 am
I ought to say that - personally - I prefer Mail Act-on as a plugin for sorting and filing. You should have a look at that too:
http://www.hawkwings.net/2005/08/08/mail-act-on-getting-sorted-saving-time/
June 21st, 2008 at 8:19 am
I have use Mail Act-On as well and agree it’s a great plug-in and a nice complement to MsgFiler. What I really like about MsgFiler is that it allows me to easily file a message in a folder that is several levels deep without having to go through the tedious task of navigating through the folder structure. It wouldn’t be practical (or possible) to set up a Mail Act-On shortcut for all the folders in all my accounts.
June 21st, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Not to disagree with your great historical note but your phrase “One archive to kill them all and let Spotlight (and MailTags) sort ‘em out” sounded much more like Tolkien to me:
“One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them, one ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them”.
Now that is Spotlight, which binds all in the darkness of my hard drive :)
June 22nd, 2008 at 10:19 pm
@Tim: Fair enough. A good point actually. I am always forgotten that not everyone is a “one big archive bucket” person.
@Richard: You found me out! It was a Tolkien reference. He was was my childhood hero. In fact, he lead me to study Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse for my first degree. Taking hero worship too far perhaps!
June 23rd, 2008 at 12:12 am
Aha!