19.3 Using Mentions in Send Items

The Mentions feature enables you to use Address Book Name Completion in the message body of Send items to both quickly add recipients to the To field and bring attention to those recipients directly in the message text by the linked, emphasized-name that gets inserted into the message.

To insert a contact name into the message body of a Send item, simply start typing the @ symbol followed by an Address Book name. This will prompt the Name Completion action, so you can select the recipient from a filtered Address Book list.

NOTE:For mentions to work with Name Completion, the names you that you type must either be in the System Address Book or in a personal address book that has name completion enabled in the address book properties.

In the example shown below, the message drafter added “LDAP User” in the To field and addressed him as “Sir” in the message body. While typing the first sentence, the message drafter typed “@test” and was then able to select the TestFirst TestLast user from the Address Book pop-up list for Name Completion. This last action both inserted the linked-recipient’s name in the message body and added that user in the To field of the Mail item.

NOTE:While there are no recipient fields in personal items for addressees to be added to, you can still use mentions in personal Send items. Mentions in personal items can enable some quick-access features when opening those items later, such as copying an email address or looking up a phone number from a mention when mousing-over it.

19.3.1 Understanding Mention Options and Behavior

Using mentions enables several related options beyond just getting the attention of mentioned recipients. See the descriptions below to understand how mentions work in GroupWise and the related-options available to you when using them.

Mentions Behavior

These descriptions are generally specific to behavior of the Mentions feature when you use it, as opposed to actions you can take when using mentions, which is described in Mention Options.

  • Applicable item types: You can use mentions in any item that has the Send option, including personal items. For example:

    • Mail

    • Appointment

    • Task

    • Sticky Note

    • Reminder

  • Default settings: The Mentions feature is enabled by system default. If the system default is unchanged by the GroupWise Administrator, you can disable the feature in the GroupWise Client by navigating to Tools > Options > Environment > General tab.

    If the Administrator does change the system default, the Mentions feature will be in one of the following states:

    • Enabled/Locked: You can use mentions in the client, but you cannot disable them.

    • Disabled/Locked: You cannot use mentions, and you cannot enable them.

    • Disabled/Unlocked: To use mentions, you will need to check the Enable Mentions box in the Environment > General settings.

    NOTE:Enabled/Unlocked is the system default.

  • Mentions and Name Completion: For Name Completion to work with mentions, the names that you type must either be in the System Address Book or in a personal address book that has Name Completion enabled in the address book properties.

    You can see in aggregate which personal address books have Name Completion enabled by clicking Address Books on the toolbar and going to File > Name Completion Address Books.

  • Cc and Bc behavior: As indicated above, when you add a mention in the message body, the addressee is automatically added in the To field, if not there already (not applicable to personal items). However, if the “mentioned” recipient is already in the Cc or Bc field, adding a mention for those recipients moves them into the To field.

  • Mention flagging in item lists: Since one of the designed purposes for using mentions is to call-out or bring attention to the mentioned recipient, items in your mailbox list where you are mentioned have the @ symbol appended to the item. For information about filtering on these flagged items, see Mention Options.

    NOTE:Email received from external mail systems that include mentions, to include Gmail and Outlook, are also flagged.

Mention Options

These descriptions are generally specific to actions you can take related to the Mentions feature, as opposed to behavior that may be passive on your part. For more information, see Mentions Behavior.

  • Address tile: When you mouse-over mentioned text in a GroupWise item, the information tile for the addressee (person, group, resource, etc.) displays identifying information from the Address Book for that object. For example: email address, phone number, title, department, and so forth.

  • Context menu: When you right-click mentioned text in a GroupWise item, you are presented with a context menu of the following choices:

    • Add to Frequent Contacts

    • Details (opens Address Book properties)

    • Cut

    • Copy

    • Copy Email

    • Delete

  • Delete options: There are multiple ways that you can delete mentions in items that are in a “compose” state, to include new items and replies to received items. These options include the following:

    • Backspace over the text.

    • Mouse-over the text, and click the x.

    • Right-click the mention, and select Delete.

    • Select the mention, and key Delete.

    NOTE:If an addressee is added in the To field as result of adding a mention, deleting that mention will also remove the addressee from the To field. However, if an addressee was already added in the To field prior to creating the mention, deleting the mention does not remove the addressee from the To field.

  • Filter your mentions: To see all items in your Mailbox where you are mentioned, you can filter on those flagged items by selecting Mentions me in the filter drop-down menu.

  • Create rules for mentions: You can used the Mentioned definition to create rules for managing items that include mentions. For example, if you have a personal folder where you want to automatically route all items where you are mentioned, you can create a rule to do that. For basic information about creating rules, see Creating a Basic Rule.