Lion Mail full screen composing problem

Then don't have Mail in full screen mode. You are aware that it is your choice, aren't you?

Hello,

Thanks for reminding us ... again 🙂

No seriously, we got your point, but the purpose of such a forum is clearly to help and to improve, and that's what we are trying to do, arguing one way or the other.

No need to remind us after each post that it is our choice to use it or not, you could as well say it's your choice to use an OSX PC or a W7 PC, or even it's our choice to use a computer or a sheet of paper !

Some in other threads did propose for a fullscreen window with a compose window being a tab (like in Safari, or thunderbird), I think that's a good idea to have the best of both world: fullscreen and ability to compose 2 mails simultaneoulsly.

P.

I do not see the problem (either)... 😕

When I am in full screen mode composing a message and want to get out of the full screen mode, I just go with the cursor to the top of the screen and select the righthand upper corner the button as shown here in below image.

Can be that there is a bug because I read here that this was not working for some?

Indead a BIG BUG.

AND

Also you can't use the gesture to desktop motion in full screen mode while composing. So if you make a screenshot and you want to ad it in the mail, it's not possible.

AND

cmd+space doesn't always work if you need to spotlight something

please fix!

Hello,

Well what you propose is to solve the problem by quitting the fullscreen mode. It's an option. I'll offer another one off the same type. Apple menu - > shut down :-)

No seriously ... That whole discussion is about using the fullscreen mode (not quitting it) and the fact that the compose window is modal (ie you cannot keep the compose window open and look at the main mail window behind to copy something, to check another mail, etc ...). Everybody knows that this works when not fullscreen, so your answer does not improve our lives a bit !

P.

To work around this, hover the pointer at the top of the Mail screen and when the Tool Bar appears, select New Viewer Window from the File pulldown menu. A new Mail window opens in full-screen mode. You can then switch back and forth between Mail full screens.

Clearly full-screen Mail functions as designed, so it's not a bug. But it is a wretched design.

Instead of limiting Mail on Lion to function like iOS, iOS Mail should be improved. iOS and Lion mail should open the Mail Reply (or New Message) window in a new full screen of its own.

tonefox overlooks the obvious when he asserts "You've composed an email. What might you want to do with it? Send it, bin it, or save it for later."

You haven't composed a message. You are in the process of composing one and you want access to information in previous messages. To save and exit composition mode is clunky.

And yes, we know, full-screen mode is optional.

Hello

Nice workaround, that's an option although I'd prefer the tab idea because 2 mail fullscreen is a little bit confusing sometimes (I'm currently experiencing it). But definitely, the first real solution, thanks !

P.

I discovered the workaround through luck and frustration. I agree that tabs are a sweeter fix. And following the paradigm of Safari tabs, their use would already be familiar.

I can't understand why Apple implemented full-screen Mail the way they did. The only function of the grayed-out Mail Viewer Window in the background, totally inaccessible, seems to be to torment us poor users.

Both full-screen Pages and Mail seem like they were a bit rushed market--not quite ready for prime time. I have faith that Apple will improve them over time.

i think what should happen is the main screen and draft should be two different windows. three finger up swipe and click on draft or mailboxes easy........or maybe a tab like system but thats not even in the design

I have been having the same problem with email composition but only on the MacbBook Pro I upgraded from Snow Leopard. Email works fine in Full Screen mode on my newest MacBook Air that came with Lion already installed. The bug is in the Email upgrade and not in Lion's email.

Hello

Not sure if you read that whole thread. I did a clean install (not an upgrade) and I have the same behavior (and I am not calling it a bug as discussed in previous posts).

Email app works fine in fullscreen mode for everybody, it's just the way the compose window is designed (modal) that bothers people.

P.

chiming in... experiencing same gripe. I'd prefer to be able to access message viewer and or other messages while editing/composing an email in full-screen. There is plenty of room for two emails to be seen/edited side-by-side. There is plenty of room to click on Message Viewer and cut and paste to the message I am composing.

I think the problem is: Full-Screen mode is not like spaces. Spaces allowed me to devote an entire desktop to Mail.app whereas Full-Screen is devoted to a single email. I'd prefer not to leave Full-Screen just to reference another email. In addition, I'd prefer to know what time it is without hovering over the hidden menu bar when reading or writing for an extended period of time. (Did I read you can hide/unhide the menu bar in Full-Screen? That would be very helpful in Safari.)

I 'choose' to point out the issues we are experiencing, rather than 'abandon' the progressive new features in OSX.

Suggestion: "point out the issues" to Apple -

Apple - Mac OS X - Feedback

While filling out the report to Apple I clarified that one of my issues was not entirely being 'stuck' in a single message view, unable to access other docs or the Message Viewer... but in the wording of the options:

SEND or CANCEL.

To me, cancel means "escape, disregard, delete, decide not to follow through with" The cancel button actually is a "save draft" button. I clicked cancel because it's the only way to get back to the message viewer... to find the info I need to cut & paste.

Then, I return to message viewer, find my draft and resume editing - at this point I'm usually back on the Desktop... but perhaps I could adjust if I wasn't so afraid of clicking Cancel after composing a long email that needed one final thing pasted in it. (I do Save in the Menu bar first - the word cancel means 'disregard changes' in most instances.)

There is confusion for me because SEND refers to the composition but CANCEL refers to the window.. sort of.

Just agreeing with the OP and others who want to be able to use Mail in full-screen mode, but not be locked out of looking at my other emails while composing a new one.

This is a terrible design flaw.

I often cut and paste info or addresses form other emails, or have to reference them while compsing new ones.

For all those saying to exit full-screen mode and then go back into it, my counter is that an enhancement should not cost you an existing feature. This is like getting a nicer car, but having to get out and get into your old car in order to turn on the radio in the new one.