Was the Aliases settings page changed?

faldringham · 4 Apr 2023, 01:41 AM

On the website version of fastmail accessed via desktops, was the layout of the settings page where you can create new aliases changed? I just created a couple of aliases over the past week. In trying to do it again today, I see a different layout than what I saw just days ago.

Is this just me, or is this affecting other users as well?

faldringham · 4 Apr 2023, 01:53 AM

One of the things that is different is that in the old version, it was possible to tie the new alias directly to a designated Folder so that all incoming emails sent to that alias would go to the Folder. I don't see how to do that now. For the alias I just created, the incoming emails are going to my main Inbox. I realize I can create a rule to divert them to a different Folder, but I am wondering whether I am missing how to just tie the Folder to the alias directly as in the past.

Berenburger · 4 Apr 2023, 03:05 AM

Looks that beta went to production. Silently?

Avion · 4 Apr 2023, 03:20 PM

This appeared when I opened my Fastmail today:

Quote:

Find your email addresses in one place. View team users and addresses together too. Discover more of what Fastmail has to offer by browsing our streamlined settings.

Quickest way to find what you want, is to just type it in the 'Search Settings' box, for example 'aliases' shows as 'My email addresses (previously aliases)'.

I don't recall that 'tie an alias to a designated folder' option, I would usually just create a filter to accomplish that.

nudge · 4 Apr 2023, 04:42 PM

Why do they keep messing around with this stuff ! Some of these changes are a massive hassle. Why can't they just leave things alone instead of changing things that already work well and don't need fixing ?

easemail · 5 Apr 2023, 02:29 AM

In the "My Email Addresses" section I had about a dozen of them with notes as to what they were and how I used them. Those notes are now gone!? I have a password manager, so it's not a total loss, but that's a disappointing change.

On the upside, WOW it's great to have a quick list of all your aliases available on the compose screen. Just click your default address and in the drop down click "show all." Having to add and delete rarely used aliases over the years has been a royal pain.

faldringham · 5 Apr 2023, 05:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avion

I don't recall that 'tie an alias to a designated folder' option, I would usually just create a filter to accomplish that.

https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/a...s/360060591053

faldringham · 5 Apr 2023, 05:34 AM

It seems that one option now is a two-step method.

Create an alias using "My email addresses" > "New address."

Then search for the newly created alias at "Team & Sharing"/"Team addresses" > "Search Users" and click "Edit" next to the alias. Click to expand the "Show advanced preferences." Then you can change the Delivery selection (remove the default choice and put in the preferred choice).

faldringham · 5 Apr 2023, 06:15 AM

Another, related problem is that there used to be an easy way to set up "Sending identities" that could be tied to aliases and Folders. So while browsing from a Folder, when you would begin composing, that alias would automatically be selected as the sender of an email; and when you would reply to an email sent to that alias, the alias would be selected as the sender of the reply. They seem to have removed the "Sending identities" option. Or hidden it somewhere.

So, when I now click on the 3 vertically-aligned dots to the right of a Folder name, then click "Advanced Settings," and try to change the Default Address, the new aliases I have created do not show up as options, although aliases I created before they made these changes are there as options.

This is a pretty significant change. Yet there doesn't seem to be any recent mention of this on their blog or Twitter account.

xyzzy · 5 Apr 2023, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faldringham

It seems that one option now is a two-step method.

Create an alias using "My email addresses" > "New address."

Then search for the newly created alias at "Team & Sharing"/"Team addresses" > "Search Users" and click "Edit" next to the alias. Click to expand the "Show advanced preferences." Then you can change the Delivery selection (remove the default choice and put in the preferred choice).

"Team & Sharing"/"Team addresses" has a "New address" button to create the alias ('er excuse me, "team address") there. Basically look at "Team & Sharing"/"Team addresses" as what was "aliases" before and "My email addresses" as the "old" Sending Identities. Set the "My email addresses" sort to "Show all/Status external and it seems to approximate the previous Sending Identities.

About those sorting options - they don't seem to appear on my iPhone FM app nor even accessing FM from a phone browser.

Another quirk is those "My email addresses" indicate any disabled aliases need to be verified. That's a multi-step process to get them to become disabled and verified.

I submitted a ticket on that one.

xyzzy · 5 Apr 2023, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avion

I don't recall that 'tie an alias to a designated folder' option, I would usually just create a filter to accomplish that.

This is what the "Deliver to" setting is in the alias creation found in the "obvious place" named "Team & Sharing"/"Team addresses". Of course I'm being sarcastic about "obvious place". When I first saw this new UI last night I did the logical thing (?) and clicked "My email addresses". First thing a I saw (or didn't see in this case) was some of my aliases were missing and for ones that were didn't have the "deliver to" setting or even the enable/disable settings. This UI is supposed to be an improvement?

Yeah, right!

Note, using the "deliver to" allows FM to do the filtering for you using its "fuzzy folder matching" mentioned in that article you referenced in a previous post above. For example if you set the "Deliver to" to foo@myaccount.fastmail.com (assuming you account is myaccount@fastmail.com) then mail sent to that alias will try to (fuzzy) sort into the folder named foo. No explicit filter needs to be created by you.

easemail · 5 Apr 2023, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Basically look at "Team & Sharing"/"Team addresses" as what was "aliases" before and "My email addresses" as the "old" Sending Identities.

Ah, now I get it. All my notes, or "descriptions" are wrapped up in "Team addresses." Wouldn't have thought to look there so thanks xyzzy!

xyzzy · 5 Apr 2023, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by easemail

Wouldn't have thought to look there so thanks xyzzy!

You're welcome.

I didn't actually "think" to look there, not with those naming choices FM uses. I only stumbled into it by accident and even then it took a moment to put 2 and 2 together before the ah ha moment. At also I didn't notice the small print near the top of My Email Addresses where there was the "button" to go to Team Addresses:

Code:

To add or edit email addresses for other users in your account, go to Settings → Team & Sharing → Team addresses.

Maybe because FM seems to now be obsessed with the concept of "teams" with one user managing the accounts for a group of others apparently ignoring the fact that some of their users are using FM for their own private email account. Is this the exception now with FM's universe of users? There's nothing in that button wording to indicate I would even want to use Team addresses since I don't have "other users" in my account.

easemail · 5 Apr 2023, 11:44 AM

Yeah, that is really confusing for single users of fastmail. Not sure if this is a Teams first thing because they make the most money for fastmail, or if it's just some bad design decisions. (Could be both?)

aoeuaoeu · 5 Apr 2023, 09:26 PM

It's bad design decisions, I say. Changes in the past few years are drastic and heavy-handed. 'Change for the sake of change'. I liked it back when folders could be reordered by assigning numbers (not by dragging) and when harmless Sieve changes were not subject to password challenge.

Fastmail may well be best in class but, really, the look and the feel and the trajectory -- it all has gotten worse.

Thank you, xyzzy, for these explainers.

4 Apr 2023, 01:41 AM	#1
faldringham Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 26	Was the Aliases settings page changed? On the website version of fastmail accessed via desktops, was the layout of the settings page where you can create new aliases changed? I just created a couple of aliases over the past week. In trying to do it again today, I see a different layout than what I saw just days ago. Is this just me, or is this affecting other users as well?

4 Apr 2023, 04:42 PM	#5
nudge Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Posts: 42	Why do they keep messing around with this stuff ! Some of these changes are a massive hassle. Why can't they just leave things alone instead of changing things that already work well and don't need fixing ? Last edited by nudge : 4 Apr 2023 at 05:43 PM.

4 Apr 2023, 01:53 AM	#2
faldringham Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 26	One of the things that is different is that in the old version, it was possible to tie the new alias directly to a designated Folder so that all incoming emails sent to that alias would go to the Folder. I don't see how to do that now. For the alias I just created, the incoming emails are going to my main Inbox. I realize I can create a rule to divert them to a different Folder, but I am wondering whether I am missing how to just tie the Folder to the alias directly as in the past.

4 Apr 2023, 03:05 AM	#3
Berenburger The "e" in e-mail Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 2,908	Looks that beta went to production. Silently?

5 Apr 2023, 02:29 AM	#6
easemail Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 75	In the "My Email Addresses" section I had about a dozen of them with notes as to what they were and how I used them. Those notes are now gone!? I have a password manager, so it's not a total loss, but that's a disappointing change. On the upside, WOW it's great to have a quick list of all your aliases available on the compose screen. Just click your default address and in the drop down click "show all." Having to add and delete rarely used aliases over the years has been a royal pain.

5 Apr 2023, 05:34 AM	#8
faldringham Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 26	It seems that one option now is a two-step method. Create an alias using "My email addresses" > "New address." Then search for the newly created alias at "Team & Sharing"/"Team addresses" > "Search Users" and click "Edit" next to the alias. Click to expand the "Show advanced preferences." Then you can change the Delivery selection (remove the default choice and put in the preferred choice).

5 Apr 2023, 06:15 AM	#9
faldringham Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 26	Another, related problem is that there used to be an easy way to set up "Sending identities" that could be tied to aliases and Folders. So while browsing from a Folder, when you would begin composing, that alias would automatically be selected as the sender of an email; and when you would reply to an email sent to that alias, the alias would be selected as the sender of the reply. They seem to have removed the "Sending identities" option. Or hidden it somewhere. So, when I now click on the 3 vertically-aligned dots to the right of a Folder name, then click "Advanced Settings," and try to change the Default Address, the new aliases I have created do not show up as options, although aliases I created before they made these changes are there as options. This is a pretty significant change. Yet there doesn't seem to be any recent mention of this on their blog or Twitter account.

5 Apr 2023, 11:44 AM	#14
easemail Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Posts: 75	Yeah, that is really confusing for single users of fastmail. Not sure if this is a Teams first thing because they make the most money for fastmail, or if it's just some bad design decisions. (Could be both?)

5 Apr 2023, 09:26 PM	#15
aoeuaoeu Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 54	It's bad design decisions, I say. Changes in the past few years are drastic and heavy-handed. 'Change for the sake of change'. I liked it back when folders could be reordered by assigning numbers (not by dragging) and when harmless Sieve changes were not subject to password challenge. Fastmail may well be best in class but, really, the look and the feel and the trajectory -- it all has gotten worse. Thank you, xyzzy, for these explainers.