|
The Rules Wizard "looks" at incoming and outgoing E-mail and applies certain "rules" that provide instructions pertaining to what we want to do with those messages. Do we want to group them into specified file folders, send them to the recycle bin or perform some other action? Why would we wish to do this? All incoming E-mail (unless a "rule" instructs otherwise) appears in the Inbox folder while all outgoing messages are copied to the Sent Items folder. When you retrieve E-mail from the server, the Inbox folder is displayed in bolded print and additionally displays (in blue text between parentheses) the number of E-mail items that are unread. This works just fine until you have accumulated several hundred E-mail messages (some of which you haven't had time to read) with client communications mixed in with vendors and others. Enter the Rules Wizard. Using this tool, you can instruct Outlook97 or Outlook98 to inspect each incoming message (outgoing messages will be covered next month). If it is from a listing client, for example, then you can instruct the Rules Wizard to place it in a specified file folder such as, "Listings." While it is possible to set up a new folder as a subfolder under a main heading such as "Inbox," I don't advise it. If you do this, only the subfolder will display in bolded print to alert you to the existence of unread E-mail messages. It is much easier to set up a general "Listings" folder and direct all listing communications to that folder. To set up a new folder, click on "File" then "New" then "Folder" on the menubar. Enter the name of the folder you wish to create ("Listings," for example) then click "Select where to place the folder." In this case, we'd click on "Personal Folders" to place the new folder in its own category outside of Inbox. Click "OK" to exit. Now that you have the "Listings" folder set up, you might wish to use your own name and E-mail address to "test" the following instructions and to become familiar with how they work. As I provide the instructions that follow below, wherever [your name] is entered in brackets simply select your own E-mail address from the address book. In the Outlook 98 window, click on "Tools" then "Rules wizard…." A dialogue box entitled "Rules Wizard" opens and displays a list of rules (this will probably be blank the first time you use it unless the Junk E-mail rules have been set up previously). Click on "New…" and a list of rules is displayed under the heading "Which type of rule do you want to create?" Assuming you have already set up a file folder called "Listings," click on the first rule entitled "Check messages when they arrive" (It will already be highlighted and the rule description in the box below the rule will read "Apply this rule after the message arrives"). Click on "Next" on the button bar at the bottom of the Rules Wizard dialogue box. The next screen displays a list asking, "Which condition(s) do you want to check?" Click the checkbox beside "from people or distribution list." Notice that "people or distribution list is underlined and that it automatically appears in the box labeled "Rule description (click on an underlined value to edit it):" Click on the underlined words, and your address book appears. Select a name from the list or type in a new name. If you enter a new name, select "New Contact" and complete the New Contact form (at least as to name and E-mail). Once the contact is entered, in this case [your name], highlight it and click on the "From" button then click "OK." Notice that you are now back in the Rules Wizard box and that the sender's name has replaced people or distribution list. Click "Next" on the button bar. The top window now asks, "What do you want to do with the message?" From the list of choices, click on "move it to the specified folder" and then in the bottom window click on the underlined word "specified." The Rules Wizard opens a screen displaying all of your folders in the Personal Folders directory. It also provides a button to create a new folder if you haven't already. Select the "Listings" folder you set up previously. Click "Ok." The next Rules Wizard screen displays Exceptions to the rule. Follow the same procedure with this screen if there are any exceptions. Finally, you are asked to provide a name for the rule you created. Give it a name that defines what it is. For instance, you will probably want to name this rule "Listings - [your name or another appropriate name]." If you simply set up a rule name as "Listings" then the Rules Wizard will inform you that you already have a "Listings" rule the next time you wish to add to it. Click on "Finish" and you are back at the beginning Rules Wizard screen. |
