60.1 Postponed Processing
60.1.1 Overview ¶
Postponed processing causes the program not to process an incoming email immediately, but only after a configurable waiting period. Useful when you want to give recipients the opportunity to answer or sort the mail manually before the profile takes effect.
Typical use case: An auto-reply should only be sent automatically if the mail has not been processed manually after 30 minutes. Or an order confirmation should only be sent after one hour, in case no cancellation arrives from the customer by then.
60.1.2 Configuration in the profile ¶
In the profile editor under Processing -> Postponed Processing, you will find the settings:
| Field |
Description |
| Postpone processing |
Enables the postponement for this profile |
| Waiting period |
Numeric value (e.g. 30) |
| Time unit |
Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months or Years |
Default: When enabled: 5 minutes.
Note: The waiting period starts at the time the mail was received, not when the program first sees it. A mail that is already one hour old when the program is just being started is processed immediately - the waiting period has already elapsed.
60.1.3 Management dialog ¶
Via the Manage Postponed Processings… button in the toolbar of the log area, a master-detail dialog opens that shows all currently waiting mails - grouped by profile and with a detail view per mail.
| Function |
Effect |
| List of waiting mails |
Per entry: profile, subject, sender, time received, scheduled processing time |
| Cancel |
Remove selected entries from the list - the mail is not processed |
Important: Triggering the processing early is not possible - either the mail waits until the scheduled time, or it is cancelled.
60.1.4 Interaction with other tasks ¶
If a profile with postponed processing simultaneously has another profile that moves or deletes the mail, conflicts may occur - the mail is no longer in the monitored folder when the postponement period ends.
The program detects such move/delete conflicts during profile import and warns (see Chapter 40.25.5).
60.1.5 Use case ¶
Auto-reply with grace period
Profile with task Reply and 30 minutes of postponement. Incoming customer inquiries are not answered automatically for 30 minutes - if a manual reply is sent during this time, the user can cancel the automatic reply via the management dialog.
60.1.6 Tip ¶
- The waiting period starts at the time the mail was received, not at the moment the program first sees it - important after longer program pauses