How do you apply rules based on read status?

Question

I migrated to Mail.app from PowerMail, and one of the powerful options available when creating a filter/rule in PowerMail was the ability to check the status of the message (message is/is not read) before applying the rest of the rule.
Is there a way to apply this same check within a rule in Mail.app?
This option is used to create rules that file mail ONLY AFTER it has been read.
Obviously, the user must apply the rule manually since rules are only fired off when mail comes in, or when one highlights one or more message(s) and then selects the "Apply Rules" option from the contextual menu or from the Message menu.
What makes this so powerful is that rather than having to manually file every message after you read it you can create rules that check status for read, if it is check to see if it matches other criteria, and if it does, put it in a folder with other like messages.
Like many people, I have a large number of folders and subfolders into which I file my messages. By creating such a rule, I only have to file a message that matches other criteria once, use that to set up the criteria for the rule, and on subsequent messages that match that criteria, I only have to apply the rule after I have read it.
I could just file all the messages directly into their appropriate folders, but then I have to keep watch on the subfolders for new mail, rather than just watching the inbox, reading the new mail, then using the Apply Rules item to have the read message checked and then filed based on the criteria that it matches.
The logic might look like this.
Is Read status true
AND
The subject contains "Intranet"
THEN
Move message to /On My Mac/Work Mail/Current Projects/Intranet Project/ mail folder
THEN
Stop processing rules.
Without the ability to test the message's "read status" I have to select the message, right click to select "Move To>" from the contextual menu, then mouse through four sub panes to put the read message in the folder where I want to store it.
I also cannot select a number of read messages and use the Apply Rules option to allow my filing rules to move any number of read messages to their proper storage folders.
If anyone has a method for doing this, please let me know. It is the one thing I miss most about PowerMail.
Message was edited by: rnsyderpsu

Answer 1

I have been doing some of this, and while it does provide some of the functionality that is lost without the ability to apply rules only to read messages, it is not a complete solution. One of the biggest drawbacks is that it is not easy to selectively limit what new mail shows up the smart mailbox. One approach that works, sort of, is to limit the smart mailbox to only messages from people in my address book. However, not all relevant messages are from people already in my mailbox, so it requires constantly double checking to make sure that things are slipping through the cracks.
The best thing about being able to apply rules, after receiving them, based on the status of a message is that it puts the control in the users hands. It allows you to selectively apply rules, only when you want to apply them. Rather than always/never, you have the ability to apply rules "sometimes/as needed." It allows for fuzzy logic, rather than hard conditions.