IMP Webmail
This document explains what IMP Webmail is and how to use it.
Overview
IMP is a web-based email client that is handy for when you're on the go and away from your office or personal computer. While not as full-featured as other email clients, it does give you the ability to check your email wherever you have access to a web browser. Connect by going to
https://unet.brandeis.edu/ and click on IMP or go directly to
http://webmail.brandeis.edu. For documentation, go to the
Horde IMP FAQ.
Log In
Log in to IMP Webmail at
http://webmail.brandeis.edu using your UNet account name and password.
When to Use Webmail
IMP is handy for when you're on the go and away from your office or personal computer. Because it is slower and puts a heavier load on the server than a proper client, please do not use IMP for day-to-day use.
FAQ
How does the new address book work?
While composing a message, you type any fragment of a name or email into the To: box, and click "Expand Names." Separate email addresses with commas (,), not semicolons (;). Unique matches will be replaced. If there are multiple possible matches, you'll be given a popup menu from which you need to choose the particular match you need.
To add/edit/delete entries, you need to click "Addressbook" from the mailbox index, not a message composition window. Click on the name to edit or delete the entry. Clicking on the email address will compose a new message to that person.
By default, "Expand Names" will check entries in both your local address book and the Brandeis people directory. If you'd like to change this, choose Options from the top of the main mailbox index screen, then Addressbooks in the lower right.
I spent an hour writing a message, and it was lost when I tried to send it.
The short answer is, "Your session timed out." The Webmail server maintains a "session" with your browser, so that you only get the pages you want, and only pages that "belong" to you. There may be many people using Webmail at the same time; Webmail sessions are how the server distinguishes between them. Sessions eventually time out due to inactivity between the browser and the Webmail server. If more than 35 minutes go by where there is no activity between your browser and the Webmail server (for example, if you spend a long time reading a single message, or a long time composing a message), the session will time out automatically. This is necessary to conserve resources on the Webmail server, and as a security feature in case you forget to log out on a public-use machine.
To prevent your session from timing out, especially when you are composing mail messages, leave the Webmail window displaying your INBOX, and refresh that page from time to time. This will keep your session alive.
The Webmail server will raise advisory popup windows 5 minutes and 1 minute before your session is about to expire. If you click "OK" to that message immediately, then your session will not expire. If you walk away from your computer and return to find the 5 minute and 1 minute warnings sitting there, your session has already expired. It is too late to click OK. Select the text of your message, copy it to the clipboard, close the window, log in again, and start a new message.
Resizing the compose window may lose your text
In some older browsers, such as Netscape 4.0, if you resize the Compose window after you have entered some text, your text will be lost. It is best to either resize the window before you start entering your message, or verify that resizing will not result in the loss of your message. This is a feature of your browser, not of Webmail, and affects all applications.
Webmail claims that my INBOX is empty, but I know I have mail.
Most likely your email program is configured to download your mail with the POP protocol instead of IMAP. This configuration has never been documented and is strongly discouraged.
This is the most frequently asked question in the support forum. See for example
this thread.
Assuming the computer you configured for POP isn't actively deleting mail from the server right now (to make sure it can't, change your password), you can have the previous week's worth of email redelivered to you.
It is also possible that your mail is being forwarded somewhere other than your UNet imap server. Check at
https://unet.brandeis.edu/cgi-bin/mail.
How do I undo a vacation message?
Click on the airplane in the top bar. Toggle the "Unset/remove" radio button. Ignore the contents of the large text box. Enter your password in the small box. Click the Submit button.
How do I send file attachments?
Click on the Attachments button, and then use the Browse button to select the file, and finally the Attach button to upload the file.
Note that many email systems, notably AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo, have very small mailboxes. Do not send large attachments unless you know that your recipient is prepared to receive them. Uploading the file to your personal web page or a local network share may be more appropriate than email.
Please Note: There is a 8MB maximum file upload size in IMP webmail.
Related thread
How do I send email including my full name, not just my email address?
You need to tell Webmail your name.
- Select Options from the top bar, then Personal Information, Edit Your Identities.
- Select Default Identity from the popup menu.
- Enter your full name and email address as shown at the right. Leave the Reply-to: address blank.
- This is also where you would append an automatic signature if you wish.
- Before saving the settings with the Change button, verify that Save sent mail is checked and set to sent-mail or Use Default Value.
The purpose of this more complicated preferences scheme is to allow you to save multiple identities and choose from among them when composing a message. For example, if you represent some sort of club for which you have an email alias defined, you can enter a different name for this other identity, and change your name, email, signature, and sent-mail folder as needed.
Webmail doesn't save outgoing messages to sent-mail
You skipped step 5 above.
Verify that Save Sent Mail was set to sent-mail or Use Default Value.
It is possible that you are saving sent-mail, but you're using another email program that looks in a different folder.
What is Horde?
Horde is the author's name for the web applications framework of which IMP Webmail is the most frequently used part. See
http://www.horde.org/ for their explanation. (We are still using IMP Webmail. This is just a new version whose login screen identifies itself as a part of the Horde project.)
For more information on the Webmail program
Some of this is taken from
MIT's Webmail FAQ and the
Horde/IMP documentation.
