After you've connected an email account to Dubsado, the Messages app is where you'll find, read, and respond to client emails without leaving Dubsado. The Inbox is your default view: it catches new client emails that need your response so you can keep every conversation in one place.
Open the Messages app
Click Messages in the left sidebar to open the app. It lands on the Inbox view by default. You can also reach a project's or contact's emails without leaving that record: open a project and click its Messages tab, or open a contact and click its Messages tab.
The workspace-wide Messages app is available to account owners and admins. Basic team members work with email inside the projects assigned to them, from the project's Messages tab.
How the inbox works
The Inbox collects incoming emails. The inbox catches two kinds of threads:
Replies from clients to email threads you started in Dubsado
Emails from clients who are already saved in your Contacts area, so you don't miss messages you weren't expecting
Each thread in the list shows the project it's attached to (or No project if it isn't), the sender, a timestamp, the subject line, and a short preview of the message. A colored dot marks threads you haven't read yet, and archived threads carry an Archived chip when they show up in the workspace-wide list.
Beyond the Inbox, the Messages sidebar offers three other views so you can focus on exactly the threads you need: Sent shows emails you've sent, which also appear in your connected email account's Sent folder since Dubsado sends from your own account; Archive shows threads you've archived; and Unread shows received threads you haven't opened yet.
Switch between Inbox, Sent, Archive, and Unread from the Messages sidebar to focus on exactly the threads you need.
Sort and filter your messages
Use the sort and filter controls at the top of the thread list to find what you're looking for. Sort threads by Date, ascending or descending, with newest first as the default.
The filter control lets you narrow the list by:
From: a specific contact
Project: threads attached to a particular project
After and Before: a date range
Read status: read or unread threads
A Subject search field inside the same filter control lets you search by keyword. Search looks at subject lines only, so use the sender, project, or date filters when you're trying to find something in the body of a message.
You can sort threads by date and filter by sender, project, date range, and read status, so you're never stuck scrolling through the whole inbox to find one conversation.
Read and respond to emails
Click a thread to open it in the reading pane. If the thread was unread, it's automatically marked as read once you open it and move on to something else, so don't be surprised when it disappears from your Unread view.
Respond to clients from inside Dubsado rather than your personal email account, so the full conversation stays recorded on the project. Click Reply to respond to the sender. When a thread has more than one participant, a Reply all option also appears. As you type a reply on an existing thread, Dubsado saves it as a draft automatically after a few seconds, so you can step away and pick it back up later. Drafts save only on existing threads, not on a brand-new email you're composing for the first time.
To keep a record of the conversation in Dubsado, reply to clients inside Dubsado rather than from your personal email account. Replies sent from outside Dubsado won't be logged on the project.
In the thread header, use the mark read/unread button to flip a thread's status by hand: it shows a closed-envelope icon labeled Mark as read when the thread is unread, and an open-envelope icon labeled Mark as unread once it's been read.
You can also see when a client has opened an email you sent them. Once they open it, a Last opened [timestamp] line appears below that message in the thread.
Attach a thread to a project
Below the subject line, every thread has a project selector where you can attach the thread to a project, and you can change that selection at any time. Attaching a thread is optional; it's only there to keep that email on record for a specific client's project. Once you attach a thread, it also shows up under that project's Messages tab.
You don't have to attach a thread to a project before you can archive it. Attaching is only for keeping the email on record in a project.
Archive or delete to clear your inbox
Archiving and deleting are both always available on every thread, whether or not it's attached to a project, so you can clear your inbox however makes sense for that conversation.
In the thread header, Archive thread removes the thread from the Inbox but keeps it stored. You'll find it later in the Archive view, where the same button becomes Restore thread. Archiving doesn't stop the conversation: if a client replies to an archived thread, the reply still lands in that thread. Delete thread opens a Delete thread confirmation dialog before permanently removing the email.
Deleting a thread permanently removes the email from Dubsado and can't be undone. Archive instead if you might need the email later.
To handle several threads at once, select them with the row checkboxes. The bulk action bar gives you Mark as read, Mark as unread, Archive, and Delete; from the Archive view, the bulk bar offers Restore and Delete instead.
If your unread count climbs to 50 or more, a Mark all as read button appears in the Messages header. Click it and confirm in the Mark all as read? dialog to clear your unread count in one step.
Start a new email
Click Compose at the top of the Messages sidebar to open a new email. The composer opens in a window you can drag around your screen, minimize, or maximize.
Click + Add next to To to choose an existing contact or type in an email address. You can add as many recipients as you need.
Click + CC to copy additional recipients on the email.
Optionally, choose a project to associate the email with. Linking a project unlocks project-specific smart fields, project links, and scheduled send.
If you open Compose from inside a project or a contact, Dubsado pre-fills the recipient for you. From here you can send a canned email built from one of your templates, or schedule it to send later.
FAQ
Which emails show up in my inbox?
Replies from clients to threads you started in Dubsado, plus emails from clients already saved in your Contacts area.
Do I have to attach an email to a project before I can archive it?
No. Both Archive and Delete are always available on a thread, whether or not it's attached to a project.
What's the difference between archiving and deleting?
Archiving removes the thread from your Inbox but keeps it stored, so you can find it in the Archive view or restore it from there. Deleting permanently removes the email from Dubsado and can't be undone.
How do I know if my client opened my email?
Once they open it, a Last opened [timestamp] line appears below the message you sent, right there in the thread.
Why should I reply inside Dubsado instead of my own email?
Replying inside Dubsado keeps the full conversation recorded on the project. Replies sent from your personal email won't be logged.
Can other team members use the inbox?
The workspace-wide Messages app is for account owners and admins. Basic team members handle email within the projects assigned to them, from that project's Messages tab.