Running "All" Rules Doesn't work, but indviducal rules do

[mansopluc]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

I have several Exchange rules set up. Most aren't enabled all the time. I just run them when I want to clean out my Inbox. I run them by selecting all messages and going to Messages -> Apply Rule. If I choose one rule at a time it works great. However, If I choose "All Rules" none of them work. Its been this way since I stared using the product several months ago and its getting unbearable.

 

[Diane Ross]

I have several Exchange rules set up. Most aren't enabled all the time. I just
run them when I want to clean out my Inbox. I run them by selecting all
messages and going to Messages -> Apply Rule. If I choose one rule at a time
it works great. However, If I choose "All Rules" none of them work. Its been
this way since I stared using the product several months ago and its getting
unbearable.

All Rules include the Mailing List Manager and the Junk Mail Filter (see
basics below). Instead of everything going to your Inbox, create rules that
move the messages, or use custom views to manage your Inbox mail.

Options:
1) set to view unread only and leave them all in the inbox.
a) set a category and use a custom view to view your read messages. See
below**

2) create rules to move to folders other than the Inbox.

Basics:
There are 3 different kind of rules in Entourage:

Mailing List Manager (MLM)
Junk Mail Filter
Rules (custom rules you create)

They run in the order listed above. The custom rules also run in the order
they are listed. (top runs first)

Exchange Rules act on a message ONLY when it first arrives in the Exchange
Inbox.

Each type of account has it's own rules. Click on the correct tab to check
your rules. (Mail (POP), Mail (IMAP) Mal (Windows Live Hotmail) Mail
(Exchange), News, Outgoing)

See "Using Rules with Entourage" for help and examples:

<http://entourage.mvps.org/rules/index.html>

**

Prioritize your E-mails with a star rating (The Entourage Help Blog)
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/2008/08/are_you_experiencing_email_overload.
html>

Assign a category with a keyboard shortcut (The Entourage Help Blog)
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/2008/08/assign_a_category_with_a_keyboard_sh
ort.html>

Custom Views <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/custom_views/index.html>

 

[mansopluc]

I have only use rules in the past. I like for all my mail to come into my Inbox because it prompts me to review them. If I just move them directly to folders via enabled rules I'm much less likely to look at them. However, if I need to get caught up or clean out my Inbox I just run my rules manually as I described in my first message (Message->Apply Rule). My rules either move the messages from my Inbox to another folder or delete them (move to Deleted Items). I've been doing this for several years in Outlook and now Entourage. It works great if I do it one rule at a time in Entourage. In Outlook I can run all rules at once by selecting all of them.

Your comment: "Exchange Rules act on a message ONLY when it first arrives in the Exchange Inbox." is not accurate. As I said above, I run rules on my Inbox on at a time that has messages that may be weeks old. I think you are talking about if you have rules enabled they work realtime as messages are received. However, you can always select one or more messages and run rules on them. As I said in my first email, this works fine if I run individual rules, but not if I choose “All Rules”. That is the issue. Are you saying that doesn’t work by design? Does the fact that this works if I do it one rule at a time surprise you??

I didn’t know that ALL Rules included Mailing List Manager and Junk Mail filters, but it shouldn’t matter. If I choose all rules it should run ALL RULES. As a test, I created Mailing List rules that duplicate my regular exchange rules. When I select all messages and run Message->Apply Rule-> All Rules nothing works at all. That is a bug as I see it. What do you think?

 

[Diane Ross]

When you run All Rules, one of the rules is acting on the message before the
individual rule that works when run individually has a chance to move the
message. You can try moving the rule higher in the list.