OE Classic 4.0.5

Mar 17th, 2023

New features

[2023-03-17] Message decoder significantly improved to support and properly decode even more message formats

Message decoder significantly improved to support and properly decode even more message formats.

Not all email programs craft messages the same way. Message can be presented in several different formats, and it depends both on the email program which has initially created the message and the receiving program which has to re-compose this message back into the original/viewable form, preferably identical to the one which was sent by the program which has created the message. We spent a lot of time to find and properly craft such messages which misbehaved and added significant update to the message decoder which now figures out better how to create the correct message display. The result available is in OE Classic 4.0.5 and shown in the screenshot with this post - take a look. As you can see, the presentation of received messages in 4.0.5 has improved significantly. We tested this also in some other programs (which we won't advertise here, but it is sufficient to say that they are from well established high profile companies), and many of them misbehaved, mangled the display or just placed the viewable items into attachments which is not the preferable way of showing them. OE Classic has now outperformed those applications and also improves its own display from the previous versions (4.0.4 and earlier). A lot of time has been put into this to ensure that the emails look as the sender has designed them. Some of the applications we tested are very expensive. Not only you get more affordable program with OE Classic, but also you get better quality display. What's not to love about this?
[2023-03-17] New emoji added (Wastebasket/Trashcan)
[2023-03-04] Store folder no longer requires mapped network drive letter, UNC path can be used directly

For advanced users - Previously, to change the location of the storage folder and use it from a network location (or NAS) you had to map a network drive letter for example N:\ - this is no longer needed now, as network paths can now be used directly in the UNC specification (e.g. \\server\share\Email\OEClassicData). You can alter store folder location via registry key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\OEClassic key name UserDataLocation (path must be without trailing backslash). Make sure you modify this while the program is not running. Next time you run the program, it will use new folder location. If it doesn't find any files inside, new folders and files will be created. You can use local paths for files (e.g. C:\Email\OEClassicData) and UNC paths (e.g. \\server\share\Email\OEClassicData). Note that if you use shared storage folder or network-attached storage (NAS), only one copy of OE Classic must running and using it at any given moment.

OE Classic 4.0.3

Mar 1st, 2023

New features

[2023-03-01] OE Classic can now be set as default and open .NWS files as well

To set it as default for .NWS files, you have to navigate to the "Default Apps" in Windows control panel and then use "Choose default apps by file type" for the .NWS files where you can choose OE Classic as an option.

Bug fixes

[2023-03-01] Next Unread logic improved to move even if messages are not marked as read

Previously, if the option to "Mark message as read" wasn't set (so that the messages would remain unread), the "Next Unread" would be stuck at the currently selected unread message. Now, this is improved so it will move through all the unread messages and wrap around when it reaches the bottom of the message list. If the messages are being marked as read, the behavior will essentially be the same except eventually it will show "There are no more unread messages" when you go through all of them. If the messages are not being marked as read, then obviously, it will never report that since there will always be some unread messages in the list.
[2023-03-01] Message Viewer Previous/Next did not move through search results list but the main window list instead

Previously, if you did a Find/Search and in the search results you opened one of the messages and clicked Previous/Next buttons, you would be cycling through the main window message list, instead of the search results. The Message Viewer window is now context sensitive (takes into account where it was opened from) so it will navigate through the search results instead if opened from the Find/Search window. If Find/Search window is closed but some of the Message Viewer windows remain open, it will then switch back to the main window and move through those messages instead.

OE Classic 4.0.2

Feb 1st, 2023

New features

[2023-02-01] Improved async user interface update when receiving POP messages (but also for some other operations)

A separate "thread" of code is used to send/receive messages to avoid user interface from freezing. But when it needs to update the user interface (for example with the new message information in the list) it has to "freeze" it for a bit until the update completes. This is now done asynchronously and you will likely see OE Classic working more smoother with less "lagging" in the user interface. This is not the only improvement of this sort we'll do but it is a significant start.

Bug fixes

[2023-02-01] AOL OAUTH2 wasn't working

If you added AOL account using the Account Wizard "AOL" option which adds it as OAUTH2, due to small omission in code, it wasn't working at all, even though it was normally approved by the AOL "sign in" web page. This is now working properly for POP/IMAP/SMTP accounts. You don't need to re-add AOL account which wasn't working - it should start working by itself, if added as OAUTH2.

OE Classic 4.0.1

Jan 22nd, 2023

Bug fixes

[2023-01-22] Fixed rare issues with date/time being calculated incorrectly

OE Classic 4.0 released!

Dec 12th, 2022

At last, OE Classic 4.0 is here!

Full list of features in OE Classic 4.0 follows:

New features

OAUTH2 support for Google/Microsoft/Yahoo/AOL accounts (IMAP/POP/SMTP)
Completely rewritten IMAP/POP/SMTP implementation which now all support TLS 1.3
Set as default option in Options/General
MAPI support (e.g. Send to - Mail recipient)
Set as default program for opening external .EML files (also "Open with" shell menu)
Set as default program for "mailto:" links and "Email Link" functionality in some web browsers
Improved Emoji selection panel in the Message Editor and expanded and updated Emoji set
New localization files - Turkish, Ukrainian
Safety Options (Safe/Blocked senders): Load/Save/Copy/Paste/Select All buttons and popup menu for lists, enter keypress to add a new text value into the list
Paste of comma or new line separated list of email addresses into To/Cc/Bcc is automatically converted to individual items
Drag and drop of attachments to the message editor
Completely rewritten message encoder which addresses a number of encoding issues and make a message more valid and more compatible with other programs
Completely rewritten message decoder which is now 63% faster and more accurate
Optimized From/To/Cc/Bcc header encoder to create smaller email address items
More strict error checking in the Account Properties for port settings
Duplicate recipients are removed automatically when sending a message
Message editor size optimization creates as small message as possible
More responsive UI - no longer blocking the communication thread
Message structure and other information shown in Message Properties/Expert
Edit/Copy in the main menu copies selected message text to clipboard
High DPI support (per monitor)
Improved messaging between Accounts/Options and various windows (Main/Editor/Viewer/Sync) to update modified settings instantly on all windows
New keyboard shortcut in the Main Window - CTRL+I (jump to Inbox)
New keyboard shortcuts in the Message Editor - CTRL+SHIFT+S (Insert default signature), CTRL+TAB (Cycle tabs Edit->Source->Preview), CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Reverse cycle tabs Preview->Source->Edit), CTRL+Enter (Send Message)
Message HTML now entirely created in memory for faster display
New command line parameter (-identity "Name" "Password") - starts identity "Name" (optional "Password")
More modular design makes startup faster
Automatically fix incorrectly specified image file extensions for some emails
CTRL+drag-and-drop to the Message Editor to copy text from a text editing application or normal drag-and-drop to move text
Support for separate popup menus for images, hyperlinks and normal text in the Message Viewer/Editor
Complete rewrite of the HTML display component which fixes its bugs, limitations and memory leaks
Visual indicator in status bar of the Message Editor modified status
Options/Advanced: Browser engine (IE7-legacy for obsolete stationery, IE-Edge for modern engine)
Improved HTML rendering using IE11 engine
Percent-encoded URLs are decoded to show international characters in the status bar when hovering over links using the mouse pointer
Improved "mailto:" URI scheme parser supporting UTF-8 characters and the fields To/Cc/Bcc/Subject/Body/In-Reply-To
Main window status bar can be clicked to open Send/Receive window (if not shown) to monitor details of the ongoing Send/Receive operation
Options/General: Choose how often the errors will be displayed when checking for messages automatically (Always/After n errors/Never)
Message rules editing - Double click to edit, right click menu, enter keypress to add a new text value into the list
Options/Advanced: Warnings are made optional for permanent message delete, empty "Deleted Items" and empty "Junk Email"

Bug fixes

Fixed spell checker freezing on rare occasions
Print/Print Preview headers were too tiny on a high DPI system
Reply/Forward on certain messages could freeze the Message Editor so it would never show up
Check Names in the Message Editor now checks for duplicate email addresses across all fields (To/Cc/Bcc) instead of just one like before
Copy/Paste of single image did not work in the Message Editor (copying image and then pasting into another area of the text)
Switching between Edit/Source/Preview now stops running sounds and effects to avoid audio duplication in stationery
Preview tab in the Message Editor didn't work for VBScript on Windows 10 or newer
Embedded images no longer disappear after a message being edited is saved to Drafts
IMAP fixes for unrecognized message lists (5 fixes)
Fixed crash on program exit under some circumstances
Message Editor preview didn't allow clicking on links and link preview in the status bar
Message Editor popup menu Properties now enabled
Blocked content bar appeared for a short time if the first opened message had external images
No more slowdown on messages with invalid external links (showing/replying/forwarding)
Zoom over 100% didn't scroll initial message to top
Clicking into Message Editor uses font set by user
Improved detection of modified message in the Message Editor
Mouse wheel scrolling no longer shifts keyboard focus to the HTML viewer or editor
Dragged text object no longer covers drop location in the Message Editor
Mouse actions didn't set Message Editor modified status
CTRL-S didn't work while in the Message Editor
Right-to-left document wasn't properly set when opening RTL drafts
Tab key in preview pane no longer jumps through message viewer links
Right click in the Message Editor did not activate Paste button
Save as Stationery used incorrect filename
Standard folders (Inbox/Sent/Deleted...) were not localized in the Copy/Move window
Safety Options window no longer deletes blocked senders if OK is clicked without list modification
Updated SQLite library (v3.40.0.0)

OE Classic 4.0.0

Dec 12th, 2022

New features

OAUTH2 support for Google/Microsoft/Yahoo/AOL accounts (IMAP/POP/SMTP)
Completely rewritten IMAP/POP/SMTP implementation which now all support TLS 1.3
Set as default option in Options/General
MAPI support (e.g. Send to - Mail recipient)
Set as default program for opening external .EML files (also "Open with" shell menu)
Set as default program for "mailto:" links and "Email Link" functionality in some web browsers
Improved Emoji selection panel in the Message Editor and expanded and updated Emoji set
New localization files - Turkish, Ukrainian
Safety Options (Safe/Blocked senders): Load/Save/Copy/Paste/Select All buttons and popup menu for lists, enter keypress to add a new text value into the list
Paste of comma or new line separated list of email addresses into To/Cc/Bcc is automatically converted to individual items
Drag and drop of attachments to the message editor
Completely rewritten message encoder which addresses a number of encoding issues and make a message more valid and more compatible with other programs
Completely rewritten message decoder which is now 63% faster and more accurate
Optimized From/To/Cc/Bcc header encoder to create smaller email address items
More strict error checking in the Account Properties for port settings
Duplicate recipients are removed automatically when sending a message
Message editor size optimization creates as small message as possible
More responsive UI - no longer blocking the communication thread
Message structure and other information shown in Message Properties/Expert
Edit/Copy in the main menu copies selected message text to clipboard
High DPI support (per monitor)
Improved messaging between Accounts/Options and various windows (Main/Editor/Viewer/Sync) to update modified settings instantly on all windows
New keyboard shortcut in the Main Window - CTRL+I (jump to Inbox)
New keyboard shortcuts in the Message Editor - CTRL+SHIFT+S (Insert default signature), CTRL+TAB (Cycle tabs Edit->Source->Preview), CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Reverse cycle tabs Preview->Source->Edit), CTRL+Enter (Send Message)
Message HTML now entirely created in memory for faster display
New command line parameter (-identity "Name" "Password") - starts identity "Name" (optional "Password")
More modular design makes startup faster
Automatically fix incorrectly specified image file extensions for some emails
CTRL+drag-and-drop to the Message Editor to copy text from a text editing application or normal drag-and-drop to move text
Support for separate popup menus for images, hyperlinks and normal text in the Message Viewer/Editor
Complete rewrite of the HTML display component which fixes its bugs, limitations and memory leaks
Visual indicator in status bar of the Message Editor modified status
Options/Advanced: Browser engine (IE7-legacy for obsolete stationery, IE-Edge for modern engine)
Improved HTML rendering using IE11 engine
Percent-encoded URLs are decoded to show international characters in the status bar when hovering over links using the mouse pointer
Improved "mailto:" URI scheme parser supporting UTF-8 characters and the fields To/Cc/Bcc/Subject/Body/In-Reply-To
Main window status bar can be clicked to open Send/Receive window (if not shown) to monitor details of the ongoing Send/Receive operation
Options/General: Choose how often the errors will be displayed when checking for messages automatically (Always/After n errors/Never)
Message rules editing - Double click to edit, right click menu, enter keypress to add a new text value into the list
Options/Advanced: Warnings are made optional for permanent message delete, empty "Deleted Items" and empty "Junk Email"

Bug fixes

Fixed spell checker freezing on rare occasions
Print/Print Preview headers were too tiny on a high DPI system
Reply/Forward on certain messages could freeze the Message Editor so it would never show up
Check Names in the Message Editor now checks for duplicate email addresses across all fields (To/Cc/Bcc) instead of just one like before
Copy/Paste of single image did not work in the Message Editor (copying image and then pasting into another area of the text)
Switching between Edit/Source/Preview now stops running sounds and effects to avoid audio duplication in stationery
Preview tab in the Message Editor didn't work for VBScript on Windows 10 or newer
Embedded images no longer disappear after a message being edited is saved to Drafts
IMAP fixes for unrecognized message lists (5 fixes)
Fixed crash on program exit under some circumstances
Message Editor preview didn't allow clicking on links and link preview in the status bar
Message Editor popup menu Properties now enabled
Blocked content bar appeared for a short time if the first opened message had external images
No more slowdown on messages with invalid external links (showing/replying/forwarding)
Zoom over 100% didn't scroll initial message to top
Clicking into Message Editor uses font set by user
Improved detection of modified message in the Message Editor
Mouse wheel scrolling no longer shifts keyboard focus to the HTML viewer or editor
Dragged text object no longer covers drop location in the Message Editor
Mouse actions didn't set Message Editor modified status
CTRL-S didn't work while in the Message Editor
Right-to-left document wasn't properly set when opening RTL drafts
Tab key in preview pane no longer jumps through message viewer links
Right click in the Message Editor did not activate Paste button
Save as Stationery used incorrect filename
Standard folders (Inbox/Sent/Deleted...) were not localized in the Copy/Move window
Safety Options window no longer deletes blocked senders if OK is clicked without list modification
Updated SQLite library (v3.40.0.0)

OE Classic 3.2.80

Dec 7th, 2022

New features

[2022-12-07] OAUTH2 support for Google/Microsoft/Yahoo/AOL accounts (IMAP/POP/SMTP)

We've now added support for Yahoo and AOL accounts for OAUTH2 after the long approval process. The authentication process is the same like with other services - it opens up a web browser to log in and then after the log in has completed you return back to OE Classic to finish adding an account. Note, the icon for Microsoft account has changed to better comply with their branding guidelines but it is the same process to authenticate.

Bug fixes

[2022-12-07] Fixed spell checker freezing on rare occasions

This was a long-standing bug. For some specific emails spell checker which you activate with F7 key could freeze. We couldn't find such emails for a very long time but now we have and of course we've fixed the issue. Spell check should no longer freeze.

OE Classic 3.2.79

Nov 14th, 2022

New features

Pasting email addresses into To/Cc/Bcc fields now supports multiline items. For example, you can paste your email list from an Excel table and you don’t have to add a comma separator as OE Classic will automatically convert new lines into the comma separator and paste each line as a separate email address.
OE Classic is now verified publisher for Outlook/Office365/Microsoft365 accounts and this completes that process. This version redirects to a different authentication page. Unfortunately, a mistake was made which can’t be corrected in our updates. As previous update had unverified publisher which was added under the wrong Azure AD account, we had to create a new application under different Azure AD account to get the verified publisher checkmark. Since the ID of the application is now different, this means that you will have to delete all previously added Outlook/Office365/Microsoft365 accounts (added in the older version of OE Classic – which are 3.2.77 and 3.2.78) and add them again, using this version 3.2.79. So please - delete any previously added accounts for this server type and add them again, after updating to this version. We recommend doing this as soon as possible as it appears that the accounts which are added with “unverified” publisher can cause issues and we will eventually delete the unverified publisher application so it will then report an error when you try to load messages from that account.

Bug fixes

There was a bug in a third-party component which caused freezing when opening Message Editor window when the window was too narrow (horizontally). This version should fix that problem.

OE Classic 3.2.78

Nov 8th, 2022

New features

Internal support for Yahoo accounts. We are not yet verified yet, so the support can’t be added until we get through the verification process, but we’re working on it and the code is ready-to-go, once we do get verified. Hopefully, the verification process won’t take too long.
New localized texts – in the Send/Receive window. We’re gradually updating the translations as translators complete the translations, and a good number of languages has already been updated – thank you all translators for the work and for being prompt!

Bug fixes

Changes in incremental search – now it starts from the current position rather than from the beginning. Incremental search is a feature where you click for example in the list of folders and start typing to jump to a particular folder with the name you’ve typed. This has previously jumped to a first folder (message, contact) in the list, now it jumps to the one which follows the current position. For example, you can press “g” key and it will go through all the folders which start with “g”. Previously it would just jump to the first one and stay there without cycling through all of them. And if you type faster, you will jump to a folder starting with the typed-in letters. For example, if you type “oec” it may jump to a folder named “OEClassic” if you have such a folder. We’ve also checked, the incremental search feature in Outlook Express 6 and it behaves very much the same like it does in OE Classic right now.

OE Classic 3.2.77

Oct 27th, 2022

New features

Support for Outlook/Microsoft OAUTH2 accounts. That would be email addresses ending with @msn.com, @hotmail.com, @live.com, @outlook.com (and the national domains like @outlook.it, @outlook.de, @outlook.fr etc.) and also GoDaddy custom domain (your own domain) email accounts which use Azure AD (Outlook / Office 365) as their backend. Perhaps some other provider as well, but we know of GoDaddy for sure that it uses this as their backend.

Note, you can't convert an existing account into OAUTH2 account. You have to create a new one from scratch. The process is described below.

Bug fixes

Font size when printing message headers (To/Cc/Bcc/Subject/Date) in the "Print" / "Print Preview" was too tiny when a system was set for a high DPI (like 150% or 200%).

To use Microsoft OAUTH2 account use the following steps:

Ensure you have the latest version installed first.
From the main menu choose "Tools" and then "Accounts"
Click "Add..." button
Select the "Google" account icon or "Outlook/Microsoft" account icon, depending on your email account provider (see this post's screenshot).
Select the account type - you can use IMAP or POP account (IMAP syncs emails to multiple devices, POP downloads usually to a single computer). Click the "Next" button to continue.
If there is a firewall popup at this point, be aware that OE Classic needs to be allowed to listen to authorization from Google/Microsoft so please ensure OE Classic is allowed through the firewall. For built-in Windows Firewall there should be no popup, as OE Classic should be pre-approved, this only applies to third party firewall programs or antiviruses.
Now, OE Classic will open your default web browser and you need to log in using your web browser. The authorization must be done from your web browser, as that is how it is designed. For Microsoft you only need to click "Yes" to approve OE Classic. For Google - you must check all the checkboxes offered to give OE Classic permission to access your email account, otherwise you will get an error in OE Classic and you won't be able to add the account. Therefore, check all the checkboxes to give full access to OE Classic before you click "Continue".
You should now get a message that OE Classic is approved, and you can return back to OE Classic and click "Finish" button to close the account wizard and add a new account.
OE Classic is now authorized to use your account, you can start sending and receiving emails right away.

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