New Rules + Modifications Disappear After Closing Rules Wizard

[csaundersaz]

Recently,within Outlook 2002, new rules and modifications to existing rules
began disappearing after closing the Rules Wizard. Prior to closing the
Wizard the new rules and modifications can be viewed correctly and moved up
or down the list, etc.

I have about 50 existing rules and tried deleting 6 rules to see if capacity
was a problem but no change in symptoms.

I have also run Outlook's Detect and Repair utility but no change in symptoms.

My Outlook 2002 is set up for use only on a single computer.

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

 

[Judy Gleeson \(MVP Outlook\)]

Basic suggestion - check that you click Apply.

Advanced suggestions:

Make one change ro a Rule, click Apply.

Close Outlook and Windows. Restart and see if it now remembers your
changes.

I have seen weird glitches like this before.

I hope this helps you at least a little bit!

Judy Gleeson
MVP Outlook
Outlook trainer and author of Productiv_IT with Outlook
www.acorntraining.com.au


"I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow." (Woodrow
Wilson)

 

[csaundersaz]

Hi Judy,

Even though there was no Apply button in either the new/modify rules final
dialog box or the main Rules Wizard dialog box, your hint lead me to the
answer. Thanks!

When I would add new rules or modify existing rules I would click the Finish
button at the final new/modify rule dialog box (only choices at this point
are Cancel, Back, Forward greyed out, Finish) and the rule would then run
properly on the Inbox messages and I assumed that it was saved at this point.

But then I am returned to the main Rules Wizard dialog box where the only
selections are OK, Cancel, Run Now, Options. When clicking the OK button I
would get an error message about some unknown Value not being specified, but
because I thought that the rule had already been saved in the previous dialog
box, here I would either click Cancel or else the red X to close the window
and evidently the new/modified rules would be lost.

After thinking about the error message, I carefully checked each of my
existing 50 rules and found one that was not even selected as active (!!!)
which showed "move the item to the 'specified' folder" where the folder name
value for 'specified' had somehow disappeared! Deleting this inactive rule
fixed the problem!

Thanks again.
Chris

 

[Judy Gleeson \(MVP Outlook\)]

sorry - I have 2003 and forgot that you didn't have an Apply button in older
versions.

I'm glad to have helped.

Judy Gleeson
MVP Outlook
Outlook trainer and author of Productiv_IT with Outlook
www.acorntraining.com.au


"I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow." (Woodrow
Wilson)