Organizing Your Desktop Communications - page 3

KMail Filter

Let's hang out in Settings -> Configure Filters for a bit. The Anti-Spam Wizard simply writes KMail filter rules for you. A powerful KMail feature is calling external programs from the Filter Actions -> Execute Command line, like SpamAssassin. The SpamAssassin rules are down at the bottom of the list. You may modify them all you like, for example you might want to route spams to a different folder, or find a nasty red icon for the spam button.

Rules are processed in order from the top down. You should create filters to capture messages from people you know you want to hear from so they won't get filtered by mistake, or waste time getting scanned. Give these priority by putting them at the top of the filters list. Use the arrows at the bottom of the filter list to move rules up and down.

The easiest way to create a new filter is from the main body of KMail. Right-click on a message in the message list (usually the top-right pane). Go to Create Filter -> Filter On From. This opens up the Filter Rules window with a rule already in place for the sender of the message you clicked on. If you like the looks of it, click OK and you're done.

An important option in a filter rule is "If this filter matches, stop processing here." If you don't use this it will slow down your incoming mail quite a bit, because it will try to apply every rule to the message. You may build filters on any part of a mail header; you'll see these when you click on the dropdown menu with the arrow. To see the mail headers in a message use View -> View Source.

Use the Filter Actions section to route messages into specific folders, do forwards and redirects and all kinds of fun stuff. You can even configure it to bounce messages. This works best if you have KMail configured to automatically check mail periodically, and to send mail with all mail checks. (Settings -> Configure KMail -> Network.) Don't bounce spam messages because it is completely futile- they use either fake return addresses or forged return addresses.

Resources

Linux TuxCards
The KMail handbook is thorough and excellent. Find it on your system by clicking the Help button, or online at The KMail Handbook.
man spamassassin and man sa-learn