MailTags
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MailTags speeding along with Beta 4
MailTags, what some would consider to be the ultimate Mail.app enhancement, has hit public beta 4. Seems like we were just blogging about beta 3 earlier this month. Oh yeah, we were. And I have to admit that seeing a speedy development pace on one of my favorite plugins has me feeling warm right down to my extra-thick winter socks. There isn't much in the way of new features, but there's an abundance of bugfixes and interface improvements. Beta 4 includes a workaround to compensate for incompatibilities with GMail's IMAP implementation, and updates for regular IMAP users to improve tag handling. There are improvements to the Spotlight import, a slew of changes in the preferences department, improvements to Notes handling and a few interface fixes. A "Clear color when clearing all Mailtags" option has also been added for the new Message Color Extra and fixes have been implemented for Rules and Smart Mailbox handling. I've updated and tested with great results, and now I'm one beta release happier than I was yesterday. Visit the MailTags page to read about and download the latest release.
MailTags 2.2 public beta 3
MailTags has received some attention at TUAW. If you're already a fan, you'll be very excited about the MailTags 2.2 Public Beta 3 that was released today. If you're not a current user, this might be a great time to check out a plugin that improves on Mail.app by allowing comments, tags, projects and other metadata to be attached to any message (among other perks). Version 2.2pb3 introduces "MailTags Extras", which appears to be a plugin architecture for MailTags. It comes bundled with a first round of these extras, which include functionality for iCal Events and Todos and a quick way to color messages with a swatch palette in the sidebar. And as extras, these features can be individually disabled or uninstalled. Throw in some fixes for things like tagging issues, working with preferences and conflicts with other plugins and this is a release worth talking about. With a final release scheduled for this month, this beta is maturing an already great plugin. MailTags 2.2 (Leopard) will be a free upgrade for registered 2.0 and 2.1 users, and the beta is available now.
MailTags 2.1.1 available now
Scott Morrison sends word that MailTags, the Mail plugin that lets you both tag your emails and connect them directly up to iCal, has hit 2.1.1. The 2.1 release came a few days ago, and introduced incoming reply tagging-- whenever you sent out a message with tags on it, the reply that came back automatically received the same tags-- and the 2.1.1 update improves that feature. You can now tag an outgoing message as "expect reply," and MailTags can notify you through Growl and with highlighting that the reply has arrived.The release also includes an example AppleScript that lets you use a "killed" tag to mark a message and any incoming replies to it as read-- if a thread has ceased to be important to you, you can ignore it completely. Bugfixes involving iCal interaction have also been implemented, and a column sizing interface improvement has been added.The 2.1.1 update is a maintenance update and available for free to MailTags users over at the website. If you haven't bought the plugin yet, you can get it here for $29.95.
MailTags and iGTD unite features in the name of productivity and discounts
A recent update to iGTD brought some significant enhancements, one of which is very, very rich integration with Scott Morrison's MailTags 2.0. With v1.4.3, iGTD can process most of the MailTags 2 information attached to an Apple Mail message. For example: keywords in MailTags prefixed with @ will get translated into contexts, while your other tags will simply become regular tags in iGTD. Same with projects, deadlines, priorities and even notes added to Apple Mail messages with MailTags: they'll all effortlessly transfer over into iGTD when importing messages with an F-key. If this is all getting your productivity and GTD gears turning but you haven't purchased MailTags yet, Scott Morrison and Bartlomiej Bargiel (iGTD's developer) have just offered a partner promotion that should do the trick: for a limited time, when users donate to iGTD, they can contact the author and receive a $5 coupon off the $29.95 retail price of MailTags 2.0. I say 'limited time' because, as of this writing, they have 35 coupons left, though Scott said he's definitely willing to whip up more coupons depending on how much interest spawns from this promotion (I know, I know: I warned them about the TUAW effect, so we'll see). As an extremely happy and paid user of MailTags and a budding GTD user for whom iGTD finally made sense, this sounds like a great deal for anyone looking to get more productive with their email. MailTags and iGTD: two great tastes that taste great together.
MailTags 2.0 leaves beta, goes official
Scott Morrison's fantastic MailTags 2.0 is hands-down the best (and not because it is the only) plug-in that brings the wonders of tagging and iCal integration to Apple Mail. We've mentioned it plenty of times here on TUAW, and with good reason: Scott has put this new version of MailTags and its healthy dose of new features through a rigorous beta testing period, and tonight the plug-in makes that coveted leap from 'beta' to 'official release.' While Scott pops some well-deserved bubbly to celebrate his hard work, check out this list of tasty features designed for those who need more from an integrated desktop email client: IMAP support - sync your tags over IMAP servers and use them to keep your mail organized and synced across any Mac you have MailTags installed on A much-improved integrated interface for viewing and editing tags The ability to view tags in Mail's List view (an extra, optional column to let you know a message is tagged) Dynamic coloring of messages based on project, approaching due dates and priorities Integration with iCal, allowing you to create to dos and events right from Mail Including tags in your outbound messages for other MailTags users Better integration with Mail's search tools, allowing you to specify searching only for message tags, projects or even notes you've applied with MailTags (in addition to Mail's default criteria of Entire Message, From, To, etc.) Better integration with Mail's smart mailboxes Applescript compatibility I've been a happy user of MailTags 2.0 since it the early days of the beta, and I tip my hat to Scott for releasing such a great product. You can grab your own demo that runs for 21 days, while a license costs $29.95, with educational and volume discounts available upon requests.
MailTags 2 beta gets major todo and event enhancements, goes 'feature complete'
Scott Morrison has released a 6th beta of MailTags 2, his quintessential tagging and organizing plug-in for Mail.app that we're big fans of. This new beta heralds a 'feature complete' status for the plug-in, meaning that Scott has implemented all the new features and tricks that version 2 will have, and now it's simply time to clean up the code and stomp out the bugs. Also new in this version is an updated UI with a slick new pop-up window for entering todo and event information (pictured). This makes recording events and staying on top of things with MailTags much more functional and enjoyable, causing Scott's plug-in to rise even farther towards the top of my list of apps that help me get more done with my email.MailTags 2 costs $25 and can be had from indev.
MailTags 2.0 public beta - Mail.app organization redefined
It is with immense pleasure ladies and gentlemen that I am able to announce the public beta of MailTags 2.0 - an update (I can't say enough great things about) to Scott Morrison's indispensable message tagging plugin for Mail.app which we've mentioned plenty of times already. This update takes tagging messages to entirely new levels with a host of new abilities, such as: IMAP syncing of tags (so all your other machines can keep tags in sync (and not just over .Mac) Spotlight and Mail.app searching based on MailTags metadata (project, tag/keywords, notes, etc.) Sending tags with outgoing messages (so other MailTags-using friends and coworkers can stay right in tune with your tags) Displaying keywords, projects and due dates in the message list view Assigning colors to projects, due dates and priorities - great, for example, if a message becomes overdue (marked in red) or for marking all messages of a particular project as green Display custom notes in place of a message's actual subject in the list view These new features, and more, are all in addition to MailTags' standard abilities of being able to create iCal todo's and add extra notes to messages. In case you haven't taken this plugin for a test drive yet, virtually all of these features, including whether the message sidebar you see above is displayed or hidden, are customizable to your heart's content.I was able to participate in the beta process for this plugin and I must to say: Scott had to threaten me to keep this from being posted on TUAW sooner (kidding). Honestly though: I think this is the best organizing aid for email I've ever seen, and I highly recommend it (in case you can't tell) for anyone who's been looking for a better way to wrangle their inbox. No, Scott isn't paying me to say this (we don't roll like that), and yes: I'm purchasing a license just like everyone else.Speaking of licenses: MailTags 2.0 ushers in the shareware era for MailTags (the previous 1.2 version is still available, however, as donationware). It comes as a fully functioning 30 day demo (Tiger required, Universal Binary), while a full licenses costs $30 (easily a steal). During this beta period, however, a license can be purchased for a discounted price of $25, and I can honestly say that you should run, not walk, to grab a copy of such a productivity improving masterpiece as MailTags 2.0.
Hawk Wings lists 10 Mac OS X tools for Getting Things Done
Tim Gaden at Hawk Wings has compiled a list of ten Mac OS X tools that can help you implement the Getting Things Done philosophy in the way you work. The tools are broken down into three categories: email clients, dedicated GTD apps and web-based solutions for that ultimate cross-platform effect. Mail.app, of course, starts off the list. Once combined with a few Smart Folders and the powerful Mail Act-on and MailTags plugins, Mail.app can become a most powerful GTD tool indeed. Other featured tools include kGTD (an OmniOutliner Pro template), a Todo.txt script for the ultimate in plain-text GTD, EasyTask Manaager (a stand-alone app without the GTD learning curve), iCommit (a web-based PHP tool), Backpack, Gmail and even wikis. Check out Hawk Wings' list for more ideas and tools to help you, well, get things done.
MailTags 1.2.1 available, 1.3 to feature IMAP syncing
Dave Caolo posted about MailTags last August, but in case you're unfamiliar: MailTags is a fantastic plugin for Mail.app that allows you to both tag your messages and create iCal todos right from within Mail. MailTags' abilities go far beyond simply adding a few keywords though; you can also set projects, categories and priorities for messages and use all this new metadata to create a far more robust organizational system than simply filing messages in a 'todo' folder. Once MailTags is installed, a whole new set of search and rule criteria (such as due date, project, keyword and more) are baked into Mail.app for running searches or creating Smart Mailboxes and rules. It's a pretty amazing plugin, and I urge you to check out Scott Morrison's Indev site for the full details on everything MailTags is capable of.While MailTags 1.2.1 issues a host of bugfixes but no serious new features, I found out about it from this Hawk Wings post in which Tin Gaden states that MailTags 1.3 will have a new feature many users have been wishing for: IMAP tag syncing. So if you use Mail.app and MailTags on more than one Mac, you can soon keep your tags, as well as (I'm hoping) projects and priorities all in sync.With all that said, go take MailTags for a spin. It's donationware, so show Scott some PayPal love for the hard work he's putting into this most excellent of plugins.
