Outlook rule to move incoming IMAP mail to main Inbox

[Milhouse Van Houten]

First, it's disappointing to see that Outlook's (even 2010) IMAP settings
don't include an option to use the local Personal Folders Inbox as the IMAP
Inbox, much like you can for Sent Items. Strange.

So I set up a rule for IMAP:

Apply this rule after the message arrives... (also tried "through the
specific account")
on this computer only...
move it to the Inbox folder... (here I chose the one in Personal Folders)
and display a Desktop Alert

(I left the "Clear categories on mail" rule, but that's the only other one
for IMAP.)

It does that. But twice. I end up with one "read" and one "unread" copy of
the identical message.

How can that be?

Thanks

 

[Brian Tillman]

First, it's disappointing to see that Outlook's (even 2010) IMA
settings
don't include an option to use the local Personal Folders Inbox as th
IMAP
Inbox, much like you can for Sent Items. Strange.

So I set up a rule for IMAP:

Apply this rule after the message arrives... (also tried "through the
specific account")
on this computer only...
move it to the Inbox folder... (here I chose the one in Persona
Folders)
and display a Desktop Alert

(I left the "Clear categories on mail" rule, but that's the only othe
one
for IMAP.)

It does that. But twice. I end up with one "read" and one "unread" cop
of
the identical message.

How can that be?

With and IMAP account, a "move" is a copy followed by a delet
(actually, that's true for any account type). The issue with IMAP i
that IMAP protocols just mark messages for deletion. You mus
deliberately purge deleted messages later. You see the message copy i
the PST's Inbox and the original in the IMAP account's Inbox, probabl
with an overstrike through it. IMAP folders are always separate fro
your default folders

--
Brian Tillma

Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]

-
http://forums.slipstick.co

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

Addressing the reason IMAP won't use the local personal folders - it is a
'server account', much like Exchange, and using the pst would remove the
messages from the server, just like POP3. If you do want the mail removed
from the server, POP3 is more efficient.

Does your rule put two copies in the local folders or one unread in local,
one read in IMAP folders? One in each folder set is correct behavior,
although the expectation would be that the one in the IMAP folders should be
marked for purging, since you are moving the message.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]

Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com/

Outlook Tips by email:
mailto:[email protected]

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
mailto:[email protected]

Poll: What version of Outlook do you use?
http://forums.slipstick.com/showthread.php?t=27072

 

[Milhouse Van Houten]

I should clarify that once in a while I see the two messages I mentioned not
arrive in my local Inbox simultaneously. One always does arrive as the rule
completes (the unread one), but the read one (same timestamp, same message)
can come in at a later time. Not typically, hoever.

Addressing what you and Diane wrote...

No, I never see them in Outlook in my IMAP Inbox, unless I don't run the
rule. Not even as marked for purging. However, when I click into the
empty-looking IMAP Inbox, the rule will run a third time and I'll get a
third copy in my local Inbox, along with another message alert. It fires if
I click the IMAP "All Mail" folder, too.

I tried changing around the way 'Deleted Items' is set in IMAP properties
and found that "Purge items when switching folders while online" helps,
since with it I can't reproduce the additional fires when deliberately
clicking into the IMAP folders. So that automatic purge seems to work, at
least.

But even with that option in effect the problem of a read and unread message
appearing in the local Inbox remains. If there's some other trickery
possible with the rule, I've yet to figure that out.

Thanks

 

[Milhouse Van Houten]

Found the answer. This was all against Gmail IMAP, incidentally, and there
are not a few people suffering duplicate POP3/IMAP message issues there (I
never tried its POP3), some having to do with rules and some not. I mention
this in case it pertains specifically to Gmail as opposed to IMAP in
general.

The fix is to right click the top of your IMAP branch in Outlook (just
beneath your Personal Folders branch) and choose IMAP Folders. Click
Subscribed tab and then Query. I unsubscribed everything there except
[Gmail], Inbox, and Junk E-Mail (I didn't bother to check exactly which need
to be removed to avoid the problem). This step apparently gets Outlook out
of its own way by hiding other folders in which messages were apt to appear
(such as All Mail). I think they confused the rule.

Addressing the reason IMAP won't use the local personal folders - it is a
'server account', much like Exchange, and using the pst would remove the
messages from the server, just like POP3. If you do want the mail removed
from the server, POP3 is more efficient.

Does your rule put two copies in the local folders or one unread in local,
one read in IMAP folders? One in each folder set is correct behavior,
although the expectation would be that the one in the IMAP folders should
be marked for purging, since you are moving the message.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]

Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com/

Outlook Tips by email:
mailto:[email protected]

EMO - a weekly newsletter about Outlook and Exchange:
mailto:[email protected]

Poll: What version of Outlook do you use?
http://forums.slipstick.com/showthread.php?t=27072

First, it's disappointing to see that Outlook's (even 2010) IMAP settings
don't include an option to use the local Personal Folders Inbox as the
IMAP Inbox, much like you can for Sent Items. Strange.

So I set up a rule for IMAP:

Apply this rule after the message arrives... (also tried "through the
specific account")
on this computer only...
move it to the Inbox folder... (here I chose the one in Personal Folders)
and display a Desktop Alert

(I left the "Clear categories on mail" rule, but that's the only other
one for IMAP.)

It does that. But twice. I end up with one "read" and one "unread" copy
of the identical message.

How can that be?

Thanks