Windows Tip: Copying email messages using Outlook rules
I was messing around with my Outlook rules the other day and discovered something interesting, namely that if you don't watch what you're doing, you might end up with multiple copies of some of your emails! Here's a simple example of how this can happen: Create two rules where the first rule takes messages received from a certain recipient and moves them to Folder 1 and the second rule takes messages received that have a certain word in their subject and moves them to Folder 2. Now ask the recipient to send you a message that has that word in its subject, and when you receive the message you'll find two copies of it, one in Folder 1 and another in Folder 2!
Obviously most of us don't want lots of extra copies of messages kicking around, so there must be a way to fix this situation and it turns out to be quite simple: add the condition "stop processing more rules" to the "what do you want to do with this message" portion to the first rule (or more specifically, to the rule which is higher in your rules list and therefore is processed first). Problem solved!
But that got me thinking a bit. Having multiple copies of messages might not be so bad sometimes. For instance, if I'm working on a specific project where everyone involved on the team always includes the project code in any emails they send concerning that project, then I could create one rule that would move project emails into Inbox and another that would move them into a project archive folder. That way I could deal with messages or not as I work through my Inbox, while still ensuring I have a complete history of the project's communications saved in a folder.
Another use for this "message copy hack" might be to have all newsletters that come in from some site copied to two folders: Inbox and a newsletter archive folder. Then as I grind through my Inbox I can skim through all the newsletters that come in and delete them if I'm not immediately interested in their contents, while still saving all of them in case I decide to dig them up later and re-read them. The nice thing about this approach is that it saves me the hassle of having to drag each newsletter email from my Inbox to the archive folder after I read them. After all, from past columns, you know me as a member of the Mouse Challenged global group since I often drag messages into the wrong folder and end up having to try and hunt them down.
More about Outlook rules next time, but meanwhile do you have any tips or tricks for using or managing Outlook rules you'd like to share with other readers? Email me and I'll mention your suggestions in a future edition of this newsletter.
ITworld.com
Sign up for ITworld's Daily newsletter
Follow ITworld on Twitter @IT_world
On Twitter now
Outlook
Powered by Twitter
Esther Schindler
If the comments are ugly, the code is ugly
claird
SVG a graphics format for 21st century
pasmith
Take Chrome OS for a test spin
Sandra Henry-Stocker
Solaris Tip: Have Your Files Changed Since Installation?
jfruh
Android fragments vs. the iPhone monolith
mikelgan
What Gizmodo missed about the Pro WX Wireless USB disk drive
Sidekick: The Good News & the Bad News
Either way you look at it Microsoft Data Center management did not follow standards or best practices in this failure. In which case it makes me wonder more about the outsourcing of corporate data much less personal data.
- mburton325
Join the conversation here
Quick, practical advice for IT pros. Made fresh daily.
Want to cash in on your IT savvy? Send your tip to tips@itworld.com. If we post it, we'll send you a $25 Amazon e-gift card.
Here is a tip I wrote on
Here is a tip I wrote on shutting down your computer using an email with a special subject line and Outlook Rules.Enjoy!
http://bossmanthe.blogspot.com/2008/04/how-to-shutdown-your-computer-windows.html
Your post has been a great
Your post has been a great help. I have many, many rules and I started getting multiple copies of the same email in my unread email, all in the same folders, and that's not what I wanted at all. :-)My only tip for Outlook is a way of organizing emails. I use folders to separate types of emails and categories to allow for grouping within the folders, instead of creating subfolders. I use saved search folders to group emails across folders which can then also be grouped together by category.
This helps when I have work and personal email (rules put them in the right folders) that share the same category, such as to-do items. (I don't actually use a to-do category, but my categories might not make sense to anyone else!).
Just playing with rules
Well, I was thinking of another approach of rules adaptation: I have many email accounts, some of them is personal, some - intended for work. Each and every account has it's own data file to hold all the messages. Moreover, I have two data files which isn't assigned to any email account, named Personal and Work, where I'd like to move a copies of my emails to a various folders and subfolders ( categories ). The point is that I can move email account data file to another computer and have all the received messages from that account.But there's a huge disadvantage - if something more specific is required, for example, marking messages as read or adding follow-ups, etc., rules applies these options to both folders.
Any ideas how to solve this problem ?