Though Mac OS X Mail does not have a dedicated feature for creating and maintaining message templates, you can use drafts and some re-purposing of other commands quite nicely to this email efficiency end.
Save and Use Messages as Templates in Mac OS X Mail
To save a message as a template in Mac OS X Mail:
- Create a new folder called "Templates" (or, of course, anything else that appeals to you more).
- Create a new message.
- Edit the message to contain anything you want in the the template.
- You can edit and save the Subject and the message contents, of course, but also a recipient or the message priority.
- Select File | Save as Draft from the menu.
- Close the message editing window.
- Go to the Drafts folder.
- Move the message you just saved to the "Templates" folder.
To use a message template in Mac OS X Mail to create a new message:
- Open the folder containing the desired message template.
- Highlight the template you want to use for the new message.
- Select Message | Send Again from the menu.
- Edit and send the message.
You can also use any message you previously sent as a template by copying it to your "Templates" folder (or using Message | Send Again directly). To edit a template, create a new message using it, make the desired changes and the save the edited message as a template as described above while deleting the old template.
Save and Use Messages as Templates in Mac OS X Mail 1
In Mac OS X Mail 1.3 (Panther), you can use drafts as templates as well, albeit a bit differently.
