Current Folder View Changed after searching for a message

[Amanda George]

After a user searches for a message in his Inbox using the Outlook
search/find tool, his Sent Items under his mailbox and sometimes even his
Sent Items under Archive Folders are affected. The "To" field is removed
from the Sent Items current view and is replaced by the "From" field. In
reverse, the "From" field in the Inbox view is replaced by the "To" field.
The user has to select the option to Customize Current View and
replace/rearrange the fields each time this happens, but it doesn't happen
after every search. This user is running Outlook 2003 in cached Exchange
mode. Office 2003 SP3 is also installed on his machine. Any help would be
greatly appreciated. I deleted his Outlook ost file and recreated it, but
the problem persisted.

This problem has happened to a few other users in our company as well, who
are also running Outlook 2003 in cached Exchange mode.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

The "To" field is removed
from the Sent Items current view and is replaced by the "From" field. In
reverse, the "From" field in the Inbox view is replaced by the "To" field.
The user has to select the option to Customize Current View and
replace/rearrange the fields each time this happens,

Check the view. Perhaps it's just changed from "Sent To" to "Messages" and
vice versa. If that's the case, you can set it back easily enough by
selecting the correct view.

When does it get changed? Just when the search window appears or when they
open a message from the Search window? Which search are you using? Advanced
FInd? Windows Desktop Search? Tools>FInd>Find?

 

[Amanda George]

The user is using the find messages search option from within Outlook, from
the top toolbar. This problem only occurs after a search. This problem just
started a few weeks ago also. For example, if he searches for a specific
email in the Inbox, the search tool finds it, he opens that email, and then
moves away from that email and clicks on Sent Items, the view will be changed
all of a sudden. Please advise, thank you.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

The user is using the find messages search option from within Outlook, from
the top toolbar. This problem only occurs after a search. This problem
just
started a few weeks ago also. For example, if he searches for a specific
email in the Inbox, the search tool finds it, he opens that email, and then
moves away from that email and clicks on Sent Items, the view will be
changed
all of a sudden. Please advise, thank you.

Is the view being changed from "Sent To" to "Messages" or does the view remain
"Sent To" but with the wrong columns?

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

The user is using the find messages search option from within Outlook, from
the top toolbar. This problem only occurs after a search. This problem
just
started a few weeks ago also. For example, if he searches for a specific
email in the Inbox, the search tool finds it, he opens that email, and then
moves away from that email and clicks on Sent Items, the view will be
changed
all of a sudden. Please advise, thank you.

The "Look for" field will search only the currently selected folder, it won't
show messages in other folders. It also doesn't open a separate Find window.
Is that what you're using or do you have Windows Desktop Search installed and
that's what you're using?

When you say "moves away from that email", what exactly does that mean? Does
it mean he closes the message and clicks the Sent Items folder or does it mean
he leaves that message open and clicks Sent Items?

 

[mla1]

I have had reports of users with the same thing. For some reason sporadic
folder views change to that of sent items. IE There is no "From" field and
the "To" field has magically appeared. I have not been able to replicate
this at will, but have had several users report the issue.

It could be related to the search function. One of our users effected
does not use cached mode and all out users are running outlook 2003 sp3

just to add a reply to the comment about the view being changed, this is not
the case but the wrong columns.

 

[mla1]

Steps to repro the error.
start RUN Outlook /cleanview.
click on sent items
View > Arrange by > Current View Messages
Right click on "From" and select Field Chooser
Remove the Field "From" and add the field "To"
Remove the Field Received" and add the field "Sent"
click on the inbox to double check the fields show from and recieved.
click on the sent items to double check the fields show sent and to
Click find and change the dropdown from "Sent" to "Mail I recieved"
search for your name
click find.
Now click on your inbox and the field show To and Sent,
If you check the default view in the following place
View > Arrange BY > current View > Define Views
Click messages > Modify > Fields.
It now displays from and to. (the default folder views have changed after
a search)..

I guess microsofts answer is that its either by design or a bug that wont be
fixed.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

Steps to repro the error.
start RUN Outlook /cleanview.

This will display the Sent Items folder in the "Sent To" view.

click on sent items
View > Arrange by > Current View Messages
Right click on "From" and select Field Chooser
Remove the Field "From" and add the field "To"
Remove the Field Received" and add the field "Sent"

Why are you modifying the Message view so that it looks like the Sent To view,
which Sent Items should already be using? Why are you changing the Sent Items
folder from the Sent To view to the Messages view?

click on the inbox to double check the fields show from and recieved.
click on the sent items to double check the fields show sent and to
Click find and change the dropdown from "Sent" to "Mail I recieved"

Which "drop down" are you changing?

search for your name
click find.
Now click on your inbox and the field show To and Sent,
If you check the default view in the following place
View > Arrange BY > current View > Define Views
Click messages > Modify > Fields.
It now displays from and to. (the default folder views have changed after
a search)..

I guess microsofts answer is that its either by design or a bug that wont be
fixed.

I don't see any "Microsoft answer"? Where did you find it?

 

[mla1]

The drop down is when you click on "Search in".

The microsoft answer was a guess so excuse my sarcasm

 

[mla1]

This is also an issue in outlook 2007
To repro in outlook 2007 follow these steps

Launch outlook 2007 /cleanviews.
Click on sent Items
view Current View Messages
From the sent Items right click on the field From and select field chooser
remove from and add to
remove received and sent
Click on inbox check it has from and received
Click on sent items check it has to and sent
Whilst on the sent items view
click Tools > Instant Search > Advanced Find
Click Browse
Untick Sent Items
Tick inbox.
click Find now.
Once the search has complete click the inbox. (no need to close the search
window).
The inbox has now changed to TO and Sent but still has the messages view.

****NOTE I cannot re-create the error with outlook 2007 SP1 so looks like it
was fixed in this release*****

 

[Slipstick]

Cleanviews wipes out all custom views users may be using and should be
used with caution.

Resetting the view on Sent folders should restore the normal sent view.

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

Why are you changing the Sent folder to use the Messages view then editing
the view to show the fields in the Sent to view? When you do this you
create one-off views and in the process of searching both then only the
inbox, applied the edited Messages view to the Inbox.

Regardless, resetting the view would fix it.


--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]



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