WowAce

Some of this information is outdated. I'll update this page with v2 FAQs when I get the chance.

Q: What is MassMailer?

A: MassMailer is an in-game mail addon designed to ease the process of sending mail to groups of people. It has default groups such as Friends, Guild, and Arena teams to send messages to large groups with a single click. You can also define custom groups for common recipients. In addition, MassMailer will automatically split longer messages into parts, based on the in-game mail's 500 character-per-message limit.

Q: What isn't MassMailer?

A: MassMailer is not a replacement for the standard messaging system. You cannot send attachments or gold with MassMailer, just text based messages. It doesn't allow you to do anything you couldn't do manually; instead, it automates the process to make it quicker and easier. Finally, MassMailer isn't a replacement for some of the existing mail addons (such as Postal and EasyMail), though there may be occasional duplicate features.

Q: How do I use MassMailer?

A: Open your mailbox like normal, then click the "Send" tab at the bottom. The MassMailer icon is located at the top of the "Send Mail" window, in the top right corner. After clicking on the icon, the Message window will open. Simply enter in the character names you would like to mail (comma separated, e.g. "Firstname, Secondname, Thirdname, etc."), fill out the subject and body, then press Send. MassMailer does the rest.

Q: How do I use message splitting?

A: MassMailer will automatically split long messages into multiple parts, so you don't have to worry about it. At the bottom of the message window, a status box will update you on the length of your current message and give an estimate of how many parts it will be split into. Message splitting is processed when you send the message, and MassMailer will try to avoid cutting words in half. Because of this, sometimes individual parts will end up being slightly shorter than the 500 character limit, and an extra message will be sent to fit the remaining text.

Q: How do I use the built-in groups?

A: First, click on the "Address Book" button at the bottom of the Message window. The Address Book will open to the right of the MassMailer window. Check the default group you would like to mail, and the character names will automatically populate the "To:" box in Message window.

Q: How do I mail the Officers of my guild?

A: First, select the minimum level of the Officer rank to mail using the slider next to the "Officers" checkbox. The lower the number, the higher the Officer rank. For example, the guild leader is rank 0.

However, since different guilds use their Guild ranking systems in different ways, there is no way for MassMailer to determine what counts as an Officer in your guild, other than by the rank number. Some guilds will have 4 officer ranks, some only 2. If you don't know how your guild does its rankings, the WoW Armory is a good place to check, since it lists the guild ranks by numerical value, rather than by the labels that your guild master has set up.

Q: How do I use custom groups?

A: In the Address Book window, there is a drop down under the "Custom Groups" heading. Select the custom group from the drop down, and the character names will be inserted into the "To:" box in the Message window. To create or edit a custom group, click on the "Edit Groups" button next to the drop down.

Q: How do I create a new custom group?

A: Open the Address Book window and then click the Edit Groups button. The Group Editor will appear underneath the Address Book window. There is a small edit box to the upper right side of the new window labeled "New:". Type in the name you would like to call the new group, then click Save. The new group will now be created and selected for editing in the "Edit:" drop down to the left. Type in character names in the large edit box at the bottom of the window (again, separated by commas). When you are done, click Save. You can now select the new group in the Address Book "Custom Groups" drop down, and the entered names will be inserted.

Q: How do I edit an existing custom group?

A: Open the Group Editor by opening the Address Book and clicking the "Edit Groups" button. Select the group you would like to edit from the drop down on the top left side of the Group Editor window. The names currently in the group will appear in the large text box at the bottom of the window. Make the appropriate changes, then click "Save".

Q: How do I delete a custom group?

A: Open the Group Editor, and then select the group you would like to delete from the drop down at the top left of the window. Then just press "Delete Group" at the bottom of the group editor window.

Q: How do I use group shortcuts?

A: In order to make group insertion faster, the "To:" box in the message window supports group shortcuts. To insert a group using group shortcuts, type in the group name surrounded by square brackets (e.g. "[Guild]" will insert the members of your guild). The names will replace the group shortcut in the address box, and you can continue entering new names as normal. The shortcuts are not case sensitive, so "[Group1]" or "[group1] will both work. Both the default groups and custom groups support shortcuts. However, if you enter in a shortcut for a group that has no members, the group shortcut will not be replaced. For example, typing in "[2v2]" when you are not a member of a 2v2 Arena team, will do nothing.

Q: How do I add a custom signature?

A: At the bottom of the Message window (between the Address Book and Send buttons), there is a "Signature" button. Click on the button to open the Signature Editor. Type in whatever signature you would like, then click save. Your old signature (if you had one) will automatically be replaced.

Q: How do I turn off the Signature option?

A: Open the Signature editor by clicking the Signature button in the main Message window. At the bottom right of the Signature Editor window, there is a checkbox named "Include Signature". Uncheck it to prevent MassMailer from automatically appending the signature to new messages. Your signature will automatically be removed from the body text; however, it will still be saved if you decide you want to turn the option back on in the future.

Q: How do I view/edit MassMailer options?

A: All the MassMailer options are built right into the standard windows, and there is no stand-alone options window. However, everything you do will be automatically remembered for your next session. For example, if you set the minimum officer rank at 2, MassMailer will remember this setting for the next time you log in (so you don't have to go searching the Armory for the correct rank number next time you want to send the officers a message). In addition, new groups and signature options are all automatically saved, so there aren't really enough options to justify a separate window. This may change in future versions of MassMailer (as new features are added), but, at the moment, I like its simple, option-free design.

Q: How do I report a problem I'm having, give feedback, or suggest a new feature I'd like to see?

A: For bug reports or feature suggestions, the best way is to use the Ticket system within WowAce. If you are reporting a bug, please give detailed account of the problem, as well as an error log if available. I do quite a bit of testing/bug fixing on my own, but if there is a bug that I've missed, I won't know about it unless you tell me!

As for feature requests, I certainly encourage everyone to tell me their ideas, and any suggestion will be given proper consideration. However, there is a certain "scope" that I have in mind for MassMailer, and suggestions beyond that scope may be turned down. In general, if there are addons out there that already have the feature you are requesting, I don't want to spend tons of time duplicating someone's work, especially when they have probably already done it better than I ever could. :)

Finally, for feedback, I definitely encourage people to use the commenting system here on WowAce, on Curse.com, or on WowInterface.com. Please try to keep comments respectful. If the volume of comments starts to grow, I'll create a forum here on WowAce to handle it.