[Users] Bulk emailing with Claws

[Milan Obuch]

On Fri, 21 Oct 2022 02:42:37 +0300
mahlamytsike at gmail.com wrote:

> Hey!
> 
> I'm looking for suggestions on how to send an email with the same
> content to multiple recipients at once. Just in case, I specify that
> these are price requests for up to 20 recipients. After sending,
> correspondence with them would also follow, that's why I would like
> to solve it in Claws mail, which I use on a daily basis. The problem
> is how to solve the situation so that the TO line of the e-mail being
> sent has only one recipient's address. Writing all addresses in the
> TO line or BCC is not appropriate. Currently, I send these letters
> manually one at a time, copying the content and title. Is it possible
> to somehow automate this in the Claws email? Or can you recommend
> some other tool?
> 

Well, scripting is a solution for this. Your X-Mailer header shows you
are using Claws Mail on Linux, so you should be able to use Python
scripting plugin. It allows you to write a script callable by taskbar
button press.

Event sequence could be the following:

- you write the text of your request in compose window as ususal (using
  Ctrl-M or Compose button in Main taskbar or equivalent menu item)
  without writing address of recipient at this time

- when your price request is ready, you start the sending by pressing
  button added by yourself, which invokes a script. This script somehow
  collects addresses to use to sent your request to (from address book
  would be natural choice), then copies text in some temporary storage,
  puts first address into headers, sent mail, then creates new mail,
  copies text, adds next address and repeats the process.

Details still need to be refined, but this is the base. Also, if you
like to process replies separately, say, one folder per peer, it is
possible to adjust folder for saving sent mail *per recipient* this way.

As an alternative, it is possible to use Lua scripting plugin instead
of Python one. It is not yet part of official Claws Mail sources, but
available on request as single patch. As I created it, I would incline
to it, if only for the reason I can add any feature missing easier (and
can offer more help with writing the script itself if desired).

Regards,
Milan