Writing and sending mail
HQBase uses the same composer for new messages, replies, and forwards. Drafts save automatically, remain private to their author, and are checked again before anything is sent.
At a glance
Section titled “At a glance”| When you… | HQBase… |
|---|---|
| Start a new message | Uses your default sending mailbox and saves a private draft. |
| Reply | Replies to the exact message you selected and chooses an authorized From address. |
| Forward | Starts with your default sending mailbox and adds the selected message as context. |
| Add a file | Uploads it to your installation and keeps it attached to that draft only. |
| Send | Rechecks mailbox access, the From address, and the domain before delivering anything. |
Drafts are private and automatic
Section titled “Drafts are private and automatic”Only the person who created a draft can see or edit it. HQBase does not provide shared, collaborative drafts.
A draft keeps:
- its mailbox and exact From address;
- To, Cc, and Bcc recipients;
- the subject, formatted content, and plain-text version;
- reply or forward context;
- attachments; and
- a version number that prevents an older edit from silently replacing a newer one.
HQBase waits briefly while you type, then saves changes in order. Local crash recovery protects work that has not reached the server yet. If two browser tabs edit the same draft, the older copy cannot overwrite the newer version without a conflict.
Returning an empty editor to its last saved state cancels any pending save and shows Draft saved. It does not remain stuck on Saving draft….
Find a draft again
Section titled “Find a draft again”When you have saved drafts, navigation shows Drafts with your private draft count. The list at
/drafts puts the most recently changed draft first. Opening /drafts/<draft-id> restores the
recipients, content, attachments, and reply or forward context in the same composer.
Mailbox and search filters also apply to the draft list. When the count reaches zero, Drafts is hidden unless you are already on that page; it remains visible there so sending or discarding the last draft does not leave you stranded.
After a successful send, HQBase removes the saved draft.
Choose the From address
Section titled “Choose the From address”Each person chooses one default From mailbox from the active mailboxes where they can send. Onboarding records the owner’s first choice, and every signed-in person can change their own choice in Settings.
- New messages and forwards use the primary send-enabled address of your default mailbox. If that choice is no longer available, HQBase uses the first address you can still send from.
- Existing drafts keep the exact From address that was saved with them.
- Replies first try the address that received the selected message, if you are allowed to send from it. HQBase then tries another address in that mailbox, your default mailbox, and finally the first available sending address.
HQBase checks the selected mailbox, exact From address, and domain sending status again when you send. Losing access while a draft is open therefore prevents the message from being sent.
Add attachments safely
Section titled “Add attachments safely”You can add files with the file picker, drag and drop, or paste, and remove them before sending. HQBase limits the combined attachment size.
Files stream directly to R2. D1 stores only the ownership, size, type, and filename needed to manage them. Filenames and file types are treated as untrusted input, and active files are never previewed directly.
An attachment belongs to its draft and author. Another user or draft cannot reuse it simply by knowing its identifier.
Reply to the right message
Section titled “Reply to the right message”Every expanded message has Reply and Forward actions. Choosing one targets that exact message, including a message revealed from behind the earlier-message divider. The larger actions after the final message remain shortcuts for the conversation’s latest message.
For a reply, HQBase:
- puts the original sender in To while leaving To, Cc, and Bcc editable;
- creates standards-compliant reply headers from the selected message;
- places your new response first;
- follows it with a timestamped attribution and a limited copy of the selected message; and
- creates both formatted HTML and conventional
>-quoted plain text.
Formatted quotes can keep safe links, tables, formatting, and supported images. Matching content-ID images remain inline attachments. Remote image URLs remain references, so the receiving email app can apply its own privacy policy.
HQBase removes active content, unsafe URLs, unsafe CSS, and unrelated attachments from the quoted copy. It adds the quote on the server only when sending, so the saved draft contains what you wrote and a quote by itself cannot make an empty reply sendable.
Forward a message
Section titled “Forward a message”Forward opens the same editable To, Cc, and Bcc fields and includes a limited plain-text copy of the selected message as forwarded context. It uses your default From mailbox rather than assuming the address that received the original message.
Use the composer on desktop and mobile
Section titled “Use the composer on desktop and mobile”The composer supports common email formatting, links, lists, quotes, cleaned paste, undo and redo, and plain-text generation alongside email-compatible HTML.
Press Command+Enter on macOS or Control+Enter elsewhere to send while focus is anywhere in the composer. Ordinary Enter does not send. The keyboard shortcut uses the same validation and duplicate-send protection as the visible Send button, and does nothing while sending is disabled or an attachment is still uploading.
New messages use a separate window on desktop and a full-screen composer on compact screens. Replies and forwards appear after the conversation on desktop and above it in a focused editor on compact screens. Mobile headers stay below the top safe area, and the action footer clears the bottom safe area without losing normal padding on devices that have no inset.
Technical details
Section titled “Technical details”Editor, storage, and send behavior
The React composer uses the MIT-licensed Tiptap core with HQBase-owned controls. It loads as a separate browser chunk so opening the inbox does not also load the rich editor.
Autosave is debounced, serialized, revision-aware, and backed by local crash recovery. Sending and reply context are assembled and validated on the server. Successful sends remove the private draft only after delivery is accepted.
Automated and manual checks
Automated tests cover:
- server persistence, version conflicts, and crash-recovery selection;
- multiple-domain From selection and each person’s saved default;
- attachment ownership and size limits;
- send authorization and fresh-install database migrations;
- Command+Enter, Control+Enter, ordinary Enter, and disabled sending;
- conditional Drafts navigation, list routing, and reopening drafts; and
- Reply and Forward targeting for an exact message.
The deployed staging suite does not automate the full rich-editor and email-rendering matrix. Gmail, Apple Mail, Thunderbird, Outlook, and mobile web rendering remain human release-candidate checks; HQBase does not report them as automated guarantees.