Filtering Celeste


	links to this page:

Filtering Celeste

Last updated at 2:41 pm UTC on 16 January 2006

Filtering Celeste is an interface to Celeste that replaces the individual filter buttons with a list of general-purpose filters. Thus, you can have 1 category filter, or 0, or even more than 1. Likewise for subject, participant, and custom filters. Filtering Celeste comes as part of the Celeste package on SqueakMap; simply select "switch to expert interface" in the category-list menu.

How it Works

In the top-left pane of the window, there is no longer a list of categories. Instead, there is a list of filters. The list of messages you view is determined by what filters are in the filter list. With no filters, you'll see every message in the mail database. Otherwise, you'll see only the messages that match the filters you have specified.

To add, remove, or modify a filter, you can can use the context menu from the filter-list pane. Also, some common filter types are available as buttons in the main window.

Here are the filter types that are available:

type	description	example
category	select messages based on what categories you have assigned them	Category new
participant	select messages based on the From, To, and CC fields	Participant squeak-dev@lists.squeakfoundation.org
subject	select messages based on the Subject field	Subject Celeste
code	select messages based on any Smalltalk code you like	m text includesSubstring: Celeste

There are buttons in the center of the UI for quickly adding participant and subject filters.

Named Filters

Filters may be stored for later use with the "named filters" system. Any filter may be saved in this way, not just code filters. To save a filter under a name, use the "save this filter" menu item from the filter list. To apply a named filter later on, use the "Named F." button. To modify a named filter, apply it and then make any changes you desire. Finally, to get rid of a named filter you no longer like, install it and then choose "destroy this filter" from the filter list's menu.

Ideas for Using Filters

Here are some ideas on filters for those not used to them.

Have a top-most filter be a category filter, and then you can modify it to switch between alternate category.
Alternatively, look at a new category by doing "open new filter list", and then specifying the category in the new window.
Have a named filter for each mailing list you are on – then you can view messages from that list very quickly.
Have a named filter name "important", that includes all email mentioning your email address, and all email meeting any other criteria you think would make an email important. Thus, you can filter to the important messages very quickly as well.
...other people's ideas?...

A lot of features people ask for, can already be accomplished using filters.