[sub]Now with 20% more emoji bullet points![/sub]

You know it, I know it, your grandma knows it - sMail has seen better days. It's way overdue for a fresh coat of paint and some glitter holo accents. And that's what this topic is for! I'll be listing some frequently suggested things for sMail below to keep it all contained and in one easy-to-access spot, as requested by . If a suggestion has an existing topic (locked, or unlocked), I'll be linking to it! If a topic exists and it hasn't been linked to, give me a ping and I'll add it. If you have your own suggestions, or feedback on existing ones, feel free to post below, or in their respective threads! c: I will be adding your suggestions to the first post.

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Quick ease-of-use bandaid fixes to the current system

✏ Move reply box to the top of the mail - original topic (outdated), second topic Self-explanatory! If you have a long-running mail with a friend, you either have to open two mail tabs to see what you're replying to, or you have to scroll down to the bottom of the page every time you want to reply. And then scroll up to remember what you were talking about. And scroll down to reply. And scroll up. And down. And- Yeah, you get it.

✏ Tweak 1 minute wait between replies It's annoying, it's kinda pointless and all it does is make it difficult to have conversations with several users at once. Axe the mail limit completely, or set it to something like 15 seconds. If spambots are an issue, keep the 1-minute timer for accounts that are less than a week old. After testing: the 1-minute wait only applies to replies to existing mails. It does not apply to new mails. New mails do not have a time limit at all. To prevent user inbox spamming, have the site redirect to your own inbox with a "message sent!" alert/banner.

Safety tweaks

✏ Remove the "this mail might contain a scam!" and phishing warnings - thank you, ! It's kind of paranoia-fuel. The phishing issue was resolved in 2013, and the scam warning is obsolete and pops up even in innocent sMails.

✏ "Report mail!" button Someone being rude in your inbox? Sending you advertisements, spamming you with annoying crap, or just breaking the TOS in some other way? Hit that button, it takes you to the page that lets you submit a ticket with the contents of the offending message, just like the current "report forum post" link does.

✏ A buffer page for offsite links Kind of like Steam, FR and some other sites have, for an added little layer of security. With a toggle in site options, ofc, for those of us who like to live dangerously.

Hidden because this is a huge example

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Warning: this link is leading away from Subeta!</p>
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<p>Please check the link and confirm that you trust the site you are about to visit. Subeta is not responsible for the content of websites linked to by other users. Never give out your password to anyone, not even Subeta staff! Never enter your Subeta username and password into other sites, it may compromise your account!</p>
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Organization upgrades

✏ The ability to sort mail - thank you, ! If a user wants to be able to easily archive every mail that's from a particular friend, they should be able to temporarily filter it all by sorting alphabetically or reverse-alphabetically in the From: category? Kind of like we can sort by item ID, item name, stack size etc in user shops. Possibly also add sorting by replied/read/new mails too? Sorting by subject might be more difficult because the RE: titles will get in the way of things.

✏ More folders + drafts folder Currently we have the inbox, sent mail and two extra folders that we can use however we like. It's a good place to start, but more extra folders for archives is always better. A drafts folder, or a way to save a mail mid-reply would also be excellent.

Storage space and message space upgrades

✏ More room for messages Currently, the limit is 150 for your inbox, and 150 for each of the three extra folders you're allowed to have. That's a total of 600 messages and it's kinda... miserable. Raise it up to 500 for each folder. Double it for GAs?

✏ Longer character limit 800 is kinda... sad. I've honestly written IM posts that were longer than that. ._. 1500 character limit = ❤ 2500+ = ❤❤❤

User-friendly changes

✏ Add to ongoing mail - thank you, ! You know when you're talking to a friend, and you go to sleep, and they reply. Then they reply again because a new news post with amazing things was published and they wanted to talk about the amazing new overlords blobs? You wake up to 4 new messages in your inbox, all separate. How about we instead have the ability to add to an existing conversation after we've already replied? Kind of like how most instant message systems work. If you reply to a mail titled "RE: Awesomethings!", your friend would get all your messages without getting 4 new mails titled "RE: Awesomethings!" in their inbox.

✏ Changed display order of messages in a mail - thank you, ! Currently, the messages go from newest to oldest, with the reply box at the bottom. A better system would be to go from oldest to newest, with the reply box at the bottom. Combine it with the folding/autofolding of old replies and you have a winning combination.

✏ Message backup - thank you, ! In the event of an error (full inbox, 1-minute timer if there's no plan to remove it, server errors, etc.), the reply you were typing ends up wiped. Currently, you have to hit a button to get the input box to display, which prevents the browser from trying to save anything you were trying to send to your friend. Have the input box display from the start to let your browser save the text like it does with forum posts. If drafts are going to be implemented, have the site make a backup in drafts in case the receipient's inbox is full.

✏ A clearer indication of a full inbox - thank you, ! Sometimes, you just don't notice that your inbox is full because you're doing 20 other things at once, and it kind of sneaks up on you. Some way of being warned that your inbox is full would be nice! If someone sends you a mail and your inbox is full, the site would give you an event telling you that your inbox is full. Alternatively, have it display as soon as you fill your inbox, as one of those little blue notice bars that we used to get around the site for server updates and things.

✏ More obvious difference between "Mail sent!" and "Inbox is full!" messages - original topic Currently, there's not much of a difference between the two, and if you're in a rush it's easy to miss. Adding a more obvious tell would make it easier to see at a glance that your mail wasn't quite delivered by the noktoa postal service! Maybe an experiment 404, with a red-ish background, similar to the error display you get when you get banned from BHH?

✏ Being able to delete a message while viewing it - original topic This one has a bit of potential to get annoying due to mis-clicks (gimme a popup confirmation if this gets added, please!), but it would make clearing your inbox much faster and easier. When you open a message, there should be a link (or button) that enables you to delete the message immediately. Right now, you have to go back to your inbox, tick off message, delete, find another message, etc.

✏ Remove the mail cuttoff limit This... I hate this "feature". I hate it more than I hate power outages and thunderstorms. [sub]And lemme tell you, that's an achievement.[/sub] I understand it's meant to keep the mail from getting too long and obnoxious (and probably some more reasons that were never really clarified). But if you let us fold mails, and have it automatically switch to a new message with the same title and the last 2 replies (kinda like Gmail 👀), then this "feature" can go follow the auctions, journals, zapper v1 and the various other features that went on a long, long journey.

✏ Message formatting features - original topic Relevant for mails, forums, news/user comments, literally everything with a text input box. Oldie but a goodie. No idea if it's still in the works or it got caught in the pipeline!

✏ Clearer date formatting - original topic Relevant for mails, forums, comments, literally everything with a timestamp. Oct/7/2017, October 7[sup]th[/sup], 2017, because not everyone uses the US timestamps and figuring out what the date is supposed to be can be confusing.

Brand new features

✏ A "search mail" option - thank you, ! Simple, clean, sweet - search your inbox. I am not sure how server-intensive it would be to search for particular words/phrases, so this might possibly be limited to searching for mails from a certain user, or from a certain month/year.

✏ "Fold" old replies For a more accurate visual example: see Gmail's system. Instead of an inbox full of 98 separate "RE: hello!" messages, you'd have it listed as: RE: hello! (98 replies) ALTERNATIVELY, let us fold/compact old replies, like we can do with forum sections we don't wanna see. If you change your mind, you can still go back and unfold/unhide to read back on your old stuff. No delete, only hide.

✏ Mass-mailing/group mailing option - original topic Because you can only ping so many people to a thread, and I imagine this would be useful to people for various reasons. To prevent abuse, limit it to friends only.

✏ Export mails Screenshots are great, but there's no way in heck that I'm going through my 300+ saved messages, screenshot the ~150 that I want to keep. If possible, let us download the mails we want to keep. Roleplays, commission receipts, CW deals, messages from a dear friend who no longer plays, etc.

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Things that got implemented! :D

Nothing yet, check back later!

Things that most likely won't be happening :(

Surprise! It's empty. :D

yes, absolutely to everything! i also think the layout could do with an overhaul, it's just so cumbersome to navigate. the links to access the inbox and write a new message should be the most apparent and accessible, and the radio button + dropdown menu method for moving and deleting messages is woefully outdated. let me see if i can find that tacky old mockup i did...

Yesss, a cosmetic update is a must, but I didn't have the spoons to put proper graphic examples together today. :'D And I kinda want to wait and hear what can and can't be done before I go messing around with cosmetic tweaks.

Your example is really good for building off of! Adding user-made folders, drafts, etc to the top row of links would be handy. The friends/blocked list can get removed and stay all cozy on the friends.php page to reduce overlaps.

Also, I'm not really sure how I feel about having the delete mail option tucked into the dropdown with the various folders. :'D Yes, it's lovely and compact, but knowing me and my butterfingers... That's just begging for an accidental delete of something really important that I wanted to keep. I kind of prefer having the two options separate, as a safety net of sorts? You can move mails back and forth between folders, but you can't un-delete them.

This is a relatively minor thing in regards to sMails, but the phishing warning is from a specific instance in 2013. Even though it's a nice general tip, I kinda feel like it and other old warnings (like the one when you edit a pet profile) should be removed since they're not wholly relevant anymore and the issues they reference have long been resolved.

I'm very much in support of overhauling the sMail feature in general though. I especially hope to see a more clear indication that a mailbox is full, because I've had several instances where people have tried to send me messages when my inbox was full (read: it's always full) and they didn't notice since it's immediately clear it didn't send. I can only imagine how many other sMails I've missed without knowing it.

I'd like to be able to sort by the from category. It would make it much easier to stick stuff into my other folders.

Hey, thanks! I'll add both of those suggestions to the first post!

You've reminded me: the "Warning! This mail may contain a scam." message that pops up in some mails should probably also get removed. It pops up in innocent mails for whatever reason and is just paranoia fuel. idk what the trigger words for that thing are, but I'd rather it be done away with, or be set in place of the phishing warning.

Though, this all reminded me of something that slipped my mind yesterday: a buffer page for offsite links, kinda like Steam, FR and some other sites have? With a toggle in site options, ofc, for those of us who like to live dangerously.

Hidden because this is a huge example

Quote

Warning: this link is leading away from Subeta!</p>
<p>The link is trying to take you to:
https://www.WhateverWebpageIDon&;tKnow.com</p>
<p>Please check the link and confirm that you trust the site you are about to visit. Subeta is not responsible for the content of websites linked to by other users.</p>
<p>Never give out your password to anyone, not even Subeta staff!
Never enter your Subeta username and password into other sites, it may compromise your account!</p>
<p>If the link leads to inappropriate content that breaks site rules, please report it to our moderators.</p>
<p>Proceed?
(Yes, continue!) (Take me back!)

Yay or nay? Whaddya say?

I want to make sure I got this because I am a flake today: you're suggesting that, if a user wants to be able to easily archive every mail that's from a particular friend, they should be able to temporarily filter it all by sorting alphabetically or reverse-alphabetically in the From: category? Kind of like we can sort by item ID, item name, stack size etc in user shops.

Whaaaaat? I didn't know that! how to do this?

My suggestion: Search feature, it is necessary in my opinion, every email has it..

Go to your sMail inbox, then go to Edit Folders! :D I did go double-check now and I stand corrected: the max number of folders is 3! I'll fix that in the first post and I'll add the search feature suggestion in. Though I'm not sure if that'll really be possible because... well, forum search is kind of barely alive at the moment, not sure if mail search would do any better. :'D

thanks a lot!! I made those folders now :D

lol yes this is true, maybe because the sMail is per user and the amount of mails is smaller than searching through all the forum topics and posts, it can be less problematic for the server etc?

You're welcome, glad I could help. c:

I really hope that's the case! sMail search would be really useful because things do get lost in folders! The forums are huge in comparison to mails, so I can see why the search option would have issues.

Yes, exactly that. It makes perfect sense for it to be sorted by date - that's most likely how most people will use it. But the option to sort by another category can be very useful at times.

Its not a huge deal, but if the system is getting revamped anyway, its something I'd definitely like to see.

Absolutely! Sorting by mail title would be hard and maybe even impossible, but I see no reason not to be able to sort it alphabetically by username.

I've added your suggestion to the first post! c:

I am in love with this thread.

One thing I'd really like is the ability to 'reply' to our sent mail, to keep the thread together. I hate when I get two responses to the same sMail (with the exact same subject line) that need to be kept. It would be great if we could continue from the last message we sent rather than the last we received in a thread to keep all the info in one place rather than split. [I'm sure someone else can word this much better...]

@ Rogue I'm glad! ❤ You mean something kind of along the lines of how instant messages work?

Just to make sure I got it right: one mail that doesn't split into several separate "re: HI!" mails if a user replies to it multiple times. So, for example, if you have a mail where you're talking to a friend about how awesome their latest outfit is and how swish some of the recent items are, and you decide to mention how adorable the blobs are, it all stays in the same mail.

I read the suggestions listed in the first post, but none of the replies, so first off - apologies if this has already been suggested.

I see the suggestion to move the reply box to the top of the smails. And I get that, why scroll to the bottom to reply, especially when the last message is on the top.

But I think it would be better ... To just have the messages go top down. Oldest on top, replies underneath. As it stands if I re-read old messages, it's a big back and forth, instead of just going straight down the line.

It is REAL easy to hit the "end" key and get to the bottom of the page for the reply box. But if you need to reference something up top and have the memory of squidgoldfish, that is more of a hassle.

Full support! sMail is in dire need of an update.

My personal pet peeve about the current system is when you accidentally send a second message within the 1 minute time limit (and possibly for other errors like when the user's inbox is full?) the message you were trying to send gets completely wiped and you can't retrieve it even by returning to the previous page. I would love it if the new system can ensure that even when errors occur, your message is somehow saved or you stay on the same page and can copy it yourself.

I tried to keep everything that's been suggested in the first post, and I'll be re-organizing it later, once I figure out how to categorize these. :'D

Yeah, that makes more sense than moving the reply box! I believe that moving the reply box was originally a sort of bandaid suggestion? Something to make using the current sMail setup easier until its eventual recode.

I'll add your suggestion to the first post!

Oh yeah, I know that feeling. x( I want to say that reloading the page after 1 minute should send the mail, unless something changed in the coding. I'll test it with a friend later.

Would still love a backup in a drafts system, the outbox, or something done so that the message stays in the input box when you hit the back button, like it does with the forums. As for the full inbox, that message should definitely get backed up in drafts!

Adding your suggestion to the first post!

Oh wow, I will definitely try refreshing next time I run into that error. Thank you! A drafts folder (with auto-save) would be fantastic.

Glad I could help! c: Oh, if you want to double-check the refresh-after-timer thingamabob out with me, go for it and send me two different mails real quick. I have no idea if anything about it changed (it shouldn't have, afaik?), but if it still works, I'd like to add it as a temporary workaround to the first post.

Will do. xD

So I just sent 3 in quick succession (2 the same) and it said they all sent?