Changing From: header value

[mrron99]

I have noticed that, when I send email, the 'From:' field has my full name entered. I would like to change this so that my nickname is used (easily done in Thunderbird). After looking at much documentation I see terms like 'alias' and 'identity' but 1) I don't think these are applicable and 2) are not possibly what I'm looking to do. So, does anybody know if/how this can be done. I have been using Aquamail Pro (latest version). Thanks for any guidance in this.

[StR]

You can do with either just changing that in the setting of the specific account in Aquamail:
Long touch on the account (in the account list view), "Rename the account" -> Your name".
Or, you can create a new identity (same address, different name) for the same account: Long touch -> Identities, and use that identity for sending. This way, you can choose between two different appearances of your "From".

[mrron99]

Thanks very much. I did try this and I used my own email as the recipient. Then, checking on incoming messages I again see my full name in the From: field (wouldn't I need some 'setting' to enter my nickname?). I have the paid-for version but I don't see how to get to 'Identities'. Is it another long-press on the acct name?

[mrron99]

It appears that over a year ago the developer published a note saying that 'identities' are not available to exchange accounts (which is what I have). I guess that note still stands?

[StR]

Thanks very much. I did try this and I used my own email as the recipient. Then, checking on incoming messages I again see my full name in the From: field (wouldn't I need some 'setting' to enter my nickname?). I have the paid-for version but I don't see how to get to 'Identities'. Is it another long-press on the acct name?

I don't have much of experience with Exchange on this.
There might be a possibility that Exchange server rewrites that with your default account setting.

It appears that over a year ago the developer published a note saying that 'identities' are not available to exchange accounts (which is what I have). I guess that note still stands?

I think so.
But I remember reading recently (~2 last months) that Kostya was considering adding identities to Exchange accounts. Search the forum for that discussion.
It might be in the most recent -stable version available for download through a link on this forum.

 

[Kostya Vasilyev]

Sorry no progress on identities for Exchange -- because I just can't understand how they work, and if they're available in Exchange at all.

Someone posted "clever tricks" on how identities can be "emulated" in an Exchange account, but seems that it's still not the same "concept" of identities as used in the world of Internet mail.

I'm also unable to set up my Office 365 account with one -- collecting mail from some other account works fine; sending, I can't find a way to enable either in Office 365 web UI or in its help.

So I don't have anything to test this with.


This: Long touch on the account (in the account list view), "Rename the account" -> Your name".

Should have worked.

But I just tried it with my Office 365 account -- and even though AquaMail did send the "From" header as "Buzz Lightyear", it came out with my name on the receiving side.

Did not work, in other words.

This means Office 365, at least when used as Exchange (EWS), rewrites the From header and "fixes" the name. Ouch.

[arbit12]

Am I the one who posted the "clever trick" link?

Identities as commonly understood don't work in exchange. It's a limitation (or feature,  depending on whether you ask users or Microsoft).

A full "emulation" would need both server side and client side intervention.

In this case, on the server side you would have to make a distribution list called Buzz Lightyear which forwards mails to your actual id.

On the client side you would have to make a change in the outgoing headers, which is what some of the Outlook (desktop ) addins do.

Or do what I do - for my O365 account, access email through imap (where identities work fine) and calendar / contacts through an exchange account. It's inefficient in terms of sync resources but gets the job done.

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[Kostya Vasilyev]

Re: Am I the one who posted the "clever trick" link? 

Maybe. Sorry I can't remember now

Re: Identities as commonly understood don't work in exchange.

Yep, I think this was the conclusion when this was discussed in detail, here.

Re: for my O365 account, access email through imap (where identities work fine) and calendar / contacts through an exchange account

This works, yes it's not that great, but...

With IMAP, AquaMail can send mail through an identity's own SMTP server, so Exchange *server* isn't involved in sending at all.

Suppose it should be possible to do this for Exchange accounts in AquaMail too -- require "own sending server" when adding an identity, of SMTP type.

I believe this was discussed too at some point, but again I'm not sure if this is a truly universal solution (maybe there are users who prefer doing it the MS way, with a distribution list).

[arbit12]

Actually it needs a distribution list plus  a header change in the outgoing mail.

This is because if you send a mail to an alias in Exchange, it replaces it with your paid user mailbox id.

So when you get the mail you dont know which alias it came through. If sent to a distribution list, the To is preserved.

Hence the distribution list (with one member) to preserve the info on the way in.

And the header change to allow it on the way out so that exchange thinks it's going out on behalf of the distribution list.

All perfectly straightforward

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[Kostya Vasilyev]

And the header change to allow it on the way out so that exchange thinks it's going out on behalf of the distribution list.

All perfectly straightforward 

I was going to say "what a mess", but "straightforward"? Yes I did see the smiley.

So what is Microsoft's position on this? Identities is a useful feature, is it just a "oh, sorry" from them?

[arbit12]

No idea.

One theory is its a business decision as otherwise you could pay for just one license and then leverage it for multiple email ids.

But I don't really know.

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[Kostya Vasilyev]

Re: One theory is its a business decision as otherwise you could pay for just one license and then leverage it for multiple email ids.

That theory seems plausible to me.

After all, there is a certain email app for Android that only supports two accounts max in the free version...