Excellent explanation. Thanks! On 14 May 2024, at 5:57, Bill Cole wrote:
> On 2024-05-13 at 15:22:21 UTC-0400 (Mon, 13 May 2024 12:22:21 -0700) > Devyn Osborne <mailmate@lists.freron.com> > is rumored to have said: > >> Hi All, >> >> I searched for this issue but it’s a bit tricky due to the common words used. > > "Is" means that the match needs to be complete and precise. You may note that > when you select the "Is" menu item, the text field becomes a combination text > box and drop-down which lists all of the values that exist in your mail. > > "Contains" means that whatever string you enter can exist somewhere in the > selected header field, even if there is more to that field. > >> I’ve run into a curious result when creating search / smart mailbox rules >> for the From address. Here’s what I’m seeing: >> >> - “From” “contains” “n...@example.com” — this returns the expected results >> (all emails from n...@example.com) >> >> - “From” “is” “n...@example.com” — this returns *zero* results > > Correct, because the "From" header always has more than just the sender email > address. If you want to JUST match the address in a From header, you can > select From->Address in the field menu and use 'is' instead of "contains". > >> I know search rules can sometimes operate differently than expected, due to >> the specific logic, but this one is curious to me. Why would a “from is a >> specific address” not work? Is it because the “from” actually looks to >> search like “Devyn Osborne (n...@example.com)” so is not solely the email >> address? > > Precisely. > > Standard email headers can have very complicated structures, but they are > rigorously defined and so can be decomposed quite reliably into logical > parts. The possible formats of the "From" header are mind-numbingly complex > and some senders play games with that complexity. > > -- > Bill Cole > b...@scconsult.com or billc...@apache.org > (AKA @grumpybozo@toad.social and many *@billmail.scconsult.com addresses) > Not Currently Available For Hire > _______________________________________________ > mailmate mailing list > Unsubscribe: https://lists.freron.com/listinfo/mailmate _______________________________________________ mailmate mailing list Unsubscribe: https://lists.freron.com/listinfo/mailmate
