WLM multiple signatures for replies (not new messages) for one account

Windows 7 Home Premium
Windows Live Mail

Subject: Using multiple signatures IN REPLIES for one windows live mail account.

Can someone please tell me which settings I need to change to make windows live mail let me select from various signatures I have set up for just one windows live mail account WHEN I AM REPLYING to email?

WLM will only let me either assign a default signature to the specific account or if I check the box to NOT use a signature and try to add one via the insert dropdown box, the signatures are greyed out.

I went to Tools | Options | Signatures and UNCHECKED the box that says "Add signatures to all outgoing messages".

Then, I clicked the default signature and clicked "Advanced". I checked the box for the account I wanted the default signature associated with, because the "Advanced Signature Settings" dialog box says,

"Check the account(s) for which you would like to use signature ADF graphical (my sig name). Only one signature may be selected for an account, and accounts with no signature will use the default signature."

I clicked OK, Apply and OK.

Then, I tried to reply to a message. I placed the cursor in the message body and clicked "insert" and the word "signature" was bold. I could only select it, instead of it showing a choice of the other signatures I have set up.

When I CREATE A NEW MESSAGE, the signature option works the way I want it to. Meaning, I can select whatever signature I want.

Before anyone asks why I need to do this, I have to acknowledge customers orders, then I have to give them updates and then the tracking numbers. I have specific "signatures" for all of this. I just have to enter their name and the tracking number and any other details.

Yes, I use email templates (saved in my drafts folder) but that is not the solution. Too much copying and pasting! I always was able to select from several signatures in Outlook Express whether it was a reply or a new email message.
Thanks,
Steph

Anyone have an idea?

huntforit said:

Anyone have an idea?

Click to expand...

Do you have "Reply to messages using the format in which they were sent" checked off? That would put restrictions on what you can do based on the sender's format which might be plain text.

Yes, I do, and will turn it off and test it right now. I also have "include message in reply" checked in case that's significant.

Thanks! I'll be back in a few minutes.

I'm back. I removed the check mark and closed and reopened Windows Live Mail and it still only shows the word, "signature" for me to click it and get the default sig. I tried this with various email messages.

Any other suggestions, please?
Thank you,
Steph

huntforit said:

Any other suggestions, please

Click to expand...

You're right that's exactly how it works now. Perhaps they'll fix it in the next "Wave4" version. But there is a workaround...After clicking the reply button just copy the message body and get rid of the reply window. Then create a new email and paste into the new-email message body. This works as you want for signature selection. Of course you now have to fill in the "to:" space as well. (BTW, you don't have to use the advanced feature to choose an account if you always want to select a signature or choose none at all. Just continue to add signatures to the list.)

roncerr said:

You're right that's exactly how it works now. Perhaps they'll fix it in the next "Wave4" version. But there is a workaround...After clicking the reply button just copy the message body and get rid of the reply window. Then create a new email and paste into the new-email message body. This works as you want for signature selection. Of course you now have to fill in the "to:" space as well. (BTW, you don't have to use the advanced feature to choose an account if you always want to select a signature or choose none at all. Just continue to add signatures to the list.)

Click to expand...

I have huge amounts of email to deal with and this is just too cumbersome. I hope they fix this soon.

I own two websites and have to write to customers, acknowledge orders, provide tracking, as well as packing the orders (a minor detail!).

There is no way I have time to copy and paste and create new, but thank you for your time and for the suggestion, which I actually tried when I first installed Windows Home premium. That got old pretty fast!

Stephanie

huntforit said:

...There is no way I have time to copy and paste and create new, but thank you for your time and for the suggestion, which I actually tried when I first installed Windows Home premium. That got old pretty fast!

Click to expand...

If anyone knows about whether or not the problem is fixed in the next version they would be in this news group: news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windows.live.mail.desktop
But instead of using the link in a web browser, I'd suggest you just use the WLM newsgroup feature. Actually, that link should open the email client you're using if it's set as the default newsgroup client.

[Edit: New Location: news://news.annexcafe.com/Annexcafe.General.Windowslivemail ]

I would hope the answer gets posted here or in some other forum here. I don't have time for newsgroups. Sounds like I don't have a lot of time at all. (I don't). I keep on taking up more and more projects.

I posted the question to a new newsgroup that some of the people from the Microsoft group recently started: news://news.annexcafe.com/Annexcafe.General.Windowslivemail . The answer I got was that in the beta, the multiple signature option has been removed from both new and reply emails.