Mail Act-on 2: Going Back to an Old Favorite

Before I started using Google Apps for Your Domain, I was a power user of MailTags and Mail Act-On, both apps developed by indev.

Not too long after moving to a Google-based system, I abandoned MailTags, which is a terrific app. At the same time, I stopped using Act-On as much. When I switched over to a web interface, I abandoned both pieces of software.

Now that I’m back down to just two active accounts (with three others forwarding to a primary account), I’m back in Mail.app. Since I love my keyboard shortcuts, it took me no time to pick back up using Act-On to shuffle email into the proper folders.

But that was the first incarnation of Act-On. I had never made the step up to Mail Act-On 2. So this morning, I jumped over to see what it included. I liked it well enough in two informative videos (here and here), so I downloaded a trial.

What I found has revolutionized Mail.app for me. It is superb. I don’t have the same functionality I had in Gmail (jumping straight to folders with two keystrokes, but I come close).

Here’s a few features I love in Mail Act-On 2:

1. CNTRL-click function. Using CNTRL-plus the Mail Act-On shortcut applies the Act-On rule to the selected email. No need to bring up a menu and select the proper rule.
2. Added control over rules. Act-On expands Mail.app’s rules to three pains, for Inbox, Outgoing Mail and Keyboard Rules.
3. Open folders. With a couple of keystrokes, you can open any folder in Mail.app. It’s almost as quick as using Gmail’s shortcuts to get to a label.
4. Copy or move email. Act-On gives you the option to copy an email to a folder or move it to a folder. This is great if you need multiple copies, or if you are using a Gmail account in Mail.app and want to apply multiple labels.
5. Main menu controls. With all the new functionality, you can get confused at first. So Act-On has a built in “main menu” of sorts that is activated by default with F1. From there, you have access to all functions.

If Mail.app can make a rule, Act-On can apply it. Act-On 2 makes Mail.app a more powerful email client. It’s free to try for 30 days. A license runs $24.95.