Section 41. Redirect Messages with the BlackBerry Redirector


41. Redirect Messages with the BlackBerry Redirector

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

33 About Email and Text Messages


SEE ALSO

40 Configure Email Options


The BlackBerry Redirector application runs on your desktop PC and serves as a way of shuttling desktop email to your BlackBerry device. This application is primarily applicable to corporate email users who don't have access to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and who can't integrate their corporate email account with the BlackBerry Web Client. The BlackBerry Redirector enters the picture in this scenario and provides a clever means of forwarding email from your desktop email client to your BlackBerry device. Because the BlackBerry Redirector simply watches your email client and forwards messages as they are received, your desktop PC must be running at all times for you to receive forwarded messages on your device. For this reason, the BlackBerry Redirector is less than ideal in some ways. But like I said, if you don't have the BlackBerry Enterprise Server or BlackBerry Web Client as options, the BlackBerry Redirector is a lifesaver!

41. Redirect Messages with the BlackBerry Redirector


The nice thing about the BlackBerry Redirector is that you can be anywhere with your device and receive wireless email. Messages are forwarded wirelessly as long as your desktop PC is on and the Redirector application is running. The BlackBerry Redirector requires a Microsoft Exchange server to work properly, so you should check to ensure that you have access to an Exchange server before attempting to use Redirector .

NOTE

Although the BlackBerry Redirector doesn't require the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, it does require access to an email server such as Microsoft Exchange Server. If you use a POP email account through an ISP and don't have access to an Exchange server, you won't be able to use the BlackBerry Redirector application; use the BlackBerry Web Client instead.


1.
Open the Redirector Settings Window in the BlackBerry Desktop Manager

With your BlackBerry device plugged in to your desktop PC and turned on, click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar of your desktop PC to open the main Windows system menu. Then select All Programs, BlackBerry, Desktop Manager . The BlackBerry Desktop Manager application window appears.

Double-click the Redirector Settings icon in the BlackBerry Desktop Manager window. The Redirector Settings window appears.

TIP

If you don't see the Redirector Settings icon in the BlackBerry Desktop Manager window, you didn't install the BlackBerry Redirector application when you installed the BlackBerry Desktop Software. You'll need to reinstall the BlackBerry Desktop Softwareand this time be sure you choose the email integration option that uses the BlackBerry Redirector; see 8 Install the BlackBerry Desktop Software .

2.
Enable the BlackBerry Redirector

When the Redirector Settings window initially appears, the General tab is visible. In addition to showing the PIN of your device, this tab includes check boxes that allow you to enable and disable the redirection of email messages. The Redirect incoming messages to your handheld option is what ultimately controls the redirection of messages; make sure this box is checked to enable email redirection. The second option, Disable email redirection while your handheld is connected , is used to disable redirection while your handheld is connected to your desktop PC. You usually should keep this option enabled because your device should automatically remain synchronized while connected to your desktop PC.

The Auto Signature field on the General tab allows you to set the signature that appears on outgoing messages sent from your handheld. It's up to you whether you want messages originating from your handheld to have a unique signature.

When you're finished with the General tab, click the Filters tab to view redirector filters.

3.
View Redirector Filters

Filters allow you to take exacting control over the messages forwarded from your desktop email client to your BlackBerry device. By default, all messages are forwarded to your device. If you want to limit forwarded messages, select the Don't forward messages to the handheld option, located just under the filter list. This option changes the default action so that no messages are delivered to your handheld. Then you set up specific filters to allow the forwarding of messages that meet certain criteria.

To begin creating a new filter, click the New button. The Add Filter window appears.

4.
Create a New Filter

Creating a new filter using the Add Filter window involves specifying the characteristics of a message that set it apart from other messages. This could be the address from which the message was sent, the address to which the message is sent, the message subject, the message body, and so on.

Start by entering a name for the filter in the Filter Name field. As an example, you might create a filter that identifies email from your immediate family. After entering the filter name, select the contacts for your family members by enabling the From check box and clicking the Import List button. After specifying the contacts in the From field, make sure the Forward message to the handheld option is selected as the action you want taken. Click the OK button and the new filter is created. You now have a filter that allows emails from your family members to be forwarded to your device. And if you enabled the Don't forward messages to the handheld option on the General tab, only the filtered family messages will be forwarded to your device. You can set up additional filters to further broaden the range of emails that are forwarded to your device.

TIP

You should save your filters so you can easily restore them in case you ever have a problem and need to reinstall or set up the BlackBerry Redirector on another computer. To save your filters, click the Save button on the Filters tab of the Redirector Settings window. Then browse to the desired folder, specify a single filename for all the filters, and click Save to save them. You can later load filters from a file by clicking the Load button on the Filters tab of the Redirector Settings window.

5.
Configure Additional Redirector Settings

You might want to configure a few additional redirector options before launching the Redirector application. I'm referring to those options found on the Advanced tab of the Redirector Settings window. Here you can change the email address that appears on messages sent from your device through the BlackBerry Redirector. You can also change the email profile used for email redirection. Email profiles are used in email clients to keep track of a set of settings and email accountsit's unlikely that you'll change the email profile used for redirection unless you already take advantage of multiple profiles. The Message service display name option enables you to change the name of the message service for redirection, which is matched up in the email options on your device; see 40 Configure Email Options .

NOTE

Notice the Security tab in the Redirector Settings window. This tab enables you to control how encryption keys are generated for encrypting redirected messages. Unless you have a good reason for not trusting the automatic approach to encryption-key generation, there is no reason to change this setting.

Most of the options on the Advanced tab of the Redirector Settings window are unlikely to need changing, but you might find the Folder redirection option worthy of a closer look. This option enables you to specify individual folders for email redirection, as opposed to simply forwarding messages from the email client's Inbox folder. The Inbox folder is the most likely folder to be used for message redirection, but if you have set up filters in your email client to shuttle messages into certain folders, you might want to focus the redirection on those folders instead of the Inbox .

The last option in the Advanced tab of the Redirector Settings window simply determines whether copies of messages sent from your device are saved in the Sent folder on your device. This option is entirely up to your own personal tastes and how important you consider sent messages. Just keep in mind that, if you do keep copies of sent messages in the Sent folder, you'll need to visit the folder from time to time to clear out old messages and conserve space; see 38 Organize Your Messages .

When you're finished with the Redirector Settings window, click the OK button to accept your changes or click Cancel if you want to exit the settings without saving. You are returned to the BlackBerry Desktop Manager.

6.
Launch the BlackBerry Redirector Application

You're finally ready to launch the BlackBerry Redirector application and begin redirecting messages from your desktop email client to your device. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar of your desktop PC to open the main Windows system menu. Then select All Programs, BlackBerry, BlackBerry Desktop Redirector . The BlackBerry Redirector application appears and begins redirecting messages to your device.

The BlackBerry Redirector application provides a variety of information related to the redirection of messages. The Statistics area of the main window shows redirection statistics such as how many messages have been forwarded, how many have been sent from the handheld, how many are pending delivery, and how many have been filtered. Similarly, the Events area of the main window shows the last time a message was sent and received on the device, the last time contact was made with the device, and what happened during the last contact.

Just leave the BlackBerry Redirector application running to have messages continually redirected to your BlackBerry device.

NOTE

To help minimize unnecessary message redirection, the BlackBerry Redirector doesn't forward a message if it is opened in the desktop email client while awaiting wireless delivery. In other words, redirection is cancelled if you open a message on your desktop before it actually gets redirected to your device.




BlackBerry in a Snap
BlackBerry in a Snap
ISBN: 0672326701
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 149

flylib.com © 2008-2017.
If you may any questions please contact us: flylib@qtcs.net