OL98: The Organize Feature May Not Produce Expected Results

ID: Q178135

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you use the Organize feature of Microsoft Outlook 98 to move or color messages based on rules you create, the rules may not be applied as you expect.


CAUSE

When you use the basic Organize feature to move or color messages, the display name property on the message's To: or From: line, is used to select the item. This may not provide the results you expect. See the example in the section "Using the Basic Functions of Organize" below.


RESOLUTION

Use the additional selection criteria of the Organize feature by selecting the appropriate option on the Organize header.


MORE INFORMATION

The Organize feature can move messages to another folder or change the display color depending on the sender or recipient.

Using the Basic Functions of Organize

To access the Organize feature, click Organize on the Tool bar or on the Tools menu, click Organize.

If you click Using Colors, and apply the condition "Color Messages from John Doe in Red," Outlook searches for all messages where the From: line contains both the words "John" and "Doe."

For example, using the condition above, Outlook will display a message addressed as follows:
From: John Jones; Sam Smith; Jane Doe
in red, even though it does not meet the intended criteria.

Using the Additional Selection Criteria of Organize

  1. On the Tools menu, click Organize, and click either Using Folders or Using Colors.


  2. If you select Using Folders, click Rules Wizard on the Organize header. If you select Using Colors, click Automatic Formatting on the Organize header, click Add to create a new rule, click Condition, and then click the Advanced tab.


Additional selection criteria are now available.

Additional query words: junk arrange sort label 


Keywords          : 
Version           : WINDOWS:
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb kbinfo

Last Reviewed: August 8, 1999