GMail Retroactive filter application

I‘ve wanted to apply filters retroactively in Gmail (i.e., if I‘ve got 10MB of mail in GMail and now I want to organize it into labels, I create the labels, create the filters to auto-archive and set labels, but how do I apply the same filter to old mail?). There didn‘t seem to be an obvious way to do that. But then that’s because I was thinking about it as “applying filters”. So naturally I was looking for it in the Filter stuff (create, edit, delete, test, etc).

As it happens, there’s a simple way to do retroactive filters in GMail. Just search for the relevant email using the search function. It’s not going to be exactly the same as filtering, UNLESS one uses the “Show search options” link. That brings up a dialog box similar to create a filter, except it works only for one search.

After the relevant emails have been found, it’s a simple matter to select them all and apply a label and (i like to do this so they go away from the inbox but are still in the label/folders) archive them. It’s not quite as easy as it might be, but it works. Now I just need to remember that that’s how it’s done.

No I'm Not

Fratman wonders if I‘m a failed fraternity candidate sourgraping.

My answer is, No, I‘m not.

I never had the desire to join a fraternity. I just didn‘t need to (some people join because of the objective benefits they gain, frat study resources, etc), nor did i want to (some people join for barkadahan and belonging, i didn‘t need that from a fraternity, i joined UP Psych Soc instead, more fun, more girls, and all the study resources I needed).

I didn‘t need any of that pain either. Joining a group that would beat me up so I could prove I could take pain seemed illogical to me. Plus I have a pretty high pain threshold and quite a bit of pride. They might beat me to death because I wouldn‘t fold. I suppose if other people want to do it, well, that’s up to them. I‘m not too hyper about people getting into fraternities and getting beaten up even to the point of dying. after all, they made the choice to join. I grieve for their mothers, but, frankly, well, the candidates chose freely. So I don‘t get exercised by that.

What I rant about in that original post though is fraternities getting into frat wars and killing members of other fraternities. Sometimes, or perhaps often, members who weren‘t particularly war freaks anyway. I figure, if one or two people in one fraternity have a problem with someone else in another fraternity, they could find a way to have a fair fight between just the people involved. But no, usually it becomes a matter of fraternity pride and anyone on the other side is fair game. And the occasional innocent bystander hurt or killed in the rumble is just a statistic. Neither fraternity will pay anything for the innocent bystander’s pain.

But back to Fratman’s point, no, I was never a candidate for fraternity membership. I never wanted it, it never made sense, I don’t now and never have given a flying fornication for the idea.