Entourage Browser is a simple and intuitive application, which will help you to perform some basic operations in Microsoft Entourage, such as saving attachments to your disk, preview its contents without opening the whole message or backup your selected folders.
These are some features of Entourage Browser:
• You can preview and delete your messages without opening them.
• You can save attachments to your disk on-the-fly.
• You can backup manually or programatically selected folders using several formats.
• Entourage Browser supports POP, IMAP and Hotmail accounts.
Entourage Browser is designed to be as simple as possible, so you don't waste time learning to use the app. When you first open EB, you'll see two columns: your folders and messages within such folders. Below, some buttons whose titles are self-explaining. -- see screenshot
At the folders column, you will see a number (internal ID of the folder) and its name. When such folder is a IMAP or Hotline folder, you'll see an extra (I) or (H).
If you make new folders or delete them, or switch the current identity, you can 'reload' the folder structure at any time.
Also, you can switch the identity withouth the need to switch to Microsoft Entourage (folder structure will be reloaded automatically).
When you click one of your folders, you will see its contents in the rigth column. Please, NOTE that creating the list of messages and its properties can take a LONG time if the amount of messages is very BIG. My tests in a iMac G4 700 MHz throw these results: 11 minutes to display 7850 messages. If you really need some of EB's message-preview functions, please, wait.
Tip: if you only need backup such BIG folder (and you don't want waste time creating the preview), you can click any SMALL folder, then add the BIG one to the selection, using command+click.
Anyway, before starting the process of the backup, it will take some time retrieving the entire list of messages, so, please, patience and don't panic!
On the rigth, the messages browser, you'll see the ID of the message, whether this has or not HTML content (H column) or attachments (A column) and its name. Use the buttons below to save attachments, preview its contents (plain text mode or HTML), and delete selected messages.
When you are in a preview window, you can save the contents to your hard disk. If it is a HTML preview, you can also open it in you *default browser*. This *default folder* is not in fact your *default browser*, but the default application which will open HTML files. If no one is selected, it will be opened in Apple's 'TextEdit'. To change this feature, you can select a HTML file and select your preferred browser in Finder's 'Info Window' ('Open using..').
Today, the most interesting feature of Entourage Browser is 'Back-up selected' folders. This function will export selected folders in EB to a folder you specify in the Finder, and you can do it in three ways: as 'text + attachments' (self-explaining), as 'eml' (native single-message Entourage format; to test it, select any message in Microsoft Entourage and drag&drop it to your desktop); and 'mbox' (the same, but for folders; to test it, select any folder in Microsoft Entourage and drag&drop it to your desktop).
The main advantage of mbox format is that you can re-import it into Entourage by simply double-clicking in the Finder the 'mbox' archive. Please, NOTE that date-backup-options will not affect to this format.
The main advantage of eml format is that you can open it in Entourage by simply double-clicking in the Finder the 'eml' archive.
The main advantage of txt + attachments is that you can view both contents and attachments of the message at any time, at any computer, without the need to launch Entourage.
As you can see in this screenshot (the preferences window), you have three options (actions) to be executed after a backup: nothing (cool one), move to deleted items & delete forever.
If you check the checkbox 'Do not touch messages in server', Entourage Browser will skip those messages not stored locally. If you don't, Entourage Browser will execute the selected post-backup option you selected. If, eg, you choose 'delete forever', EB will attempt to delete the message from the server, even when it is not downloaded. So, be careful with this option.
NOTE FOR IMAP MESSAGES: this only affects to IMAP messages stored in the server. By default, Entourage Browser (at backup-time), will store only the headers of the message. If you wish your messages to be downloaded before a backup, check this (so, you'll keep its contents in your hard disk: the body of the message and possible attachments). If, eg, you ignore this checkbox and configure your backup to delete the messages, you will only backup the headers of those messages and lose their entire contents.
Also, you can specify another option, 'Backup messages older than..'. For incoming messages, EB will take as reference 'received' time; for outgoing ones, 'sent' time.
A new feature ('Edit selective date backup..' button) will allow you also backup selectivelly messages, based on its month or date:
If a message date does not match the selected months or days, it won't be processed. NOTE that enabling this option will override the previous date filter 'backup messages older than' a certain date.
An interesting button is Generate Daemon.. If you click it, you will generate a new daemon.scpt (you will be prompted to save it somewhere), which will use the current selected settings, as currently they are specified.
This means that you can create as much daemons as you wish, which will perform backups using different settings (eg, you can have a daemon to backup folders A and B every 25 minutes, another one to backup folders H, U and Z on quit; and another one to backup ALL your folders when you receive a message whose subject is 'backupALL').
Read below more about this feature.
3. Entourage Browser Daemon & EBD.scpt
Entourage Browser Daemon is an extension to EB's power. It is initially concibed as a background application. When launched, it will make a backup of your folders, according to the settings you specify in Entourage Browser preferences.
The only specific preferences you set-up for EBD are the folder in your local disk where you will save your backup, and which Entourage folders you will backup (the ones currently selected in EB).
Now, you can double-click its icon in the Finder and it will do the job. Or, better, you can setup a schedule in Entourage, which will execute EBD whenever you want. To do this, go to Entourage and choose 'Schedules' under the menu 'Tools':
Now, you have too Entourage Browser Daemon.scpt, which is a plain-compiled applescript. You can execute it using an action 'Run AppleScript' from an Entourage's schedule or rule, or even manually, if you copy it to your Entourage's Scripts folder (~/documents/Microsoft User Data/Entourage Script Menu Items/).
What are the main differences between the Daemon and the Daemon.scpt?
- You can execute it from a rule.
- Entourage will 'wait' while the backup is running (useful, eg, if you are running the backup 'On Quit'; then, Entourage will wait for the backup, then will quit).
As you know, you can generate your own daemons.scpt; so, now you can personalize absolutelly your backups, running them from rules, schedules or manually, using your own customized settings. If you use your brain, this is a powerful tool! ;-)