<page xmlns="http://projectmallard.org/1.0/" xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its"
      type="guide" id="mail-search-folders">

  <info>
    <desc>Use search folders to see messages in one folder while still keeping them in their original folders.</desc>

    <link type="guide" xref="mail-organizing#advanced"/>

    <revision pkgversion="3.25.90" version="0.5" date="2017-07-28" status="final"/>
    <credit type="author">
      <name its:translate="no">Andre Klapper</name>
      <email its:translate="no">ak-47@gmx.net</email>
    </credit>
    <credit type="author">
      <name its:translate="no">Novell, Inc</name> <!-- Content partially from https://help.gnome.org/users/evolution/2.32/usage-mail-organize-vfolders.html.en -->
    </credit>
    
    <include href="legal.xml" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2001/XInclude"/>
        
  </info>

  <title>Using Search folders</title>
  
<p>If <link xref="mail-filters">filters</link> are not flexible enough, or you find yourself performing the same <link xref="mail-searching">search</link> again and again, consider a search folder.</p>

<p>A search folder looks like a <link xref="mail-folders">folder</link>, it acts like a <link xref="mail-searching">search</link>, and you set it up like a <link xref="mail-filters">filter</link>. While a conventional folder actually contains messages, a search folder is a view of messages that might be in several different folders. The messages it contains are determined on the fly using a set of criteria that you have chosen when setting up the search folder.</p>

<note style="tip"><p>In the unlikely case that there is no <gui>Search folders</gui> top-level node displayed at the bottom of the <link xref="intro-main-window#e-mail">mail folder list</link> you have to enable <guiseq><gui>Edit</gui><gui>Preferences</gui><gui>Mail Accounts</gui><gui>Search Folders</gui></guiseq>.</p></note>

<p><app>Evolution</app> automatically updates the search folder contents when new messages are received or messages are deleted. You can also manually update the search folder either by switching to another folder and then back again, or by right-clicking on the search folder and choosing <gui>Refresh</gui>.</p>

<p>The <gui>Unmatched</gui> search folder is the opposite of other search folders: it displays all messages that do not appear in other search folders.</p>

<p>If you use remote email storage like IMAP, and have created search folders to search through them, the <gui>Unmatched</gui> search folder also searches the remote folders. If you do not create any search folders that search remote mail stores, the <gui>Unmatched</gui> search folder does not search in them either.</p>

<note style="tip"><p>If you need to find out which physical folder a message displayed in a Search Folder is located in, <link xref="mail-change-columns-in-message-list">add the <gui>Location</gui> column</link> to the message list.</p></note>

</page>
