How does Find in Outlook retrieve messages?

[Jennifer Q]

I am using Outlook 2003 SP3 on WinXP SP2. In Outlook, when I use the Tools |
Find feature for a very basic search, I have noticed something odd. It seems
that Outlook finds the oldest messages first and the newest messages last.
This does not seem so helpful to me.

Can anyone shed some explanantion on how Outlook conducts this search, and
why the oldest messages are retrieved first? Also, is there a way to change
this behavior? I'd like Outlook to retrieve the newest messages first.

Thanks,
Jennifer

 

[VanguardLH]

in message

I am using Outlook 2003 SP3 on WinXP SP2. In Outlook, when I use the
Tools | Find feature for a very basic search, I have noticed
something odd. It seems that Outlook finds the oldest messages first
and the newest messages last. This does not seem so helpful to me.

Can anyone shed some explanantion on how Outlook conducts this
search, and why the oldest messages are retrieved first? Also, is
there a way to change this behavior? I'd like Outlook to retrieve
the newest messages first.

That's been a sore point with Outlook's so-called "advanced" find for
a long time. Regardless of how you dictate sort order by clicking on
the column headers or changing the view, the search progresses through
the database in date-order. That sucks because most of the time the
item you are looking for is not months old but just days old yet you
have to wait for the search to finally get through months of items
before it shows the one that you wanted. So you wait, and wait, and
eventually the post shows up and only then can you stop the search
since you don't care about any further matches. Don't know who was
the programmer that figured the database should be searched in
ascending date order. Must've had his head in the chair and his butt
pointed at the screen.

 

[Diane Poremsky]

unfortunately, that is how search works. additionally, if you import an
older pst, search may find them in a seemingly odd order.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

However, in support of the search function going from oldest to latest, if I am looking for something, it is most likely something very old since my most recent mails I can find easily by looking in the correct folder. Older stuff (order from an online purchase 8 months ago) is going to be harder to remember so having search go from oldest to newest works VERY well for me.

YMMV.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Jennifer Q asked:

| I am using Outlook 2003 SP3 on WinXP SP2. In Outlook, when I use the
| Tools | Find feature for a very basic search, I have noticed
| something odd. It seems that Outlook finds the oldest messages first
| and the newest messages last. This does not seem so helpful to me.
|
| Can anyone shed some explanantion on how Outlook conducts this
| search, and why the oldest messages are retrieved first? Also, is
| there a way to change this behavior? I'd like Outlook to retrieve the
| newest messages first.
|
| Thanks,
| Jennifer

 

[Jennifer Q]

Oh, you're one of those people who files, eh? JK
;-)

Thanks for the input, all of you!!!

Jennifer

However, in support of the search function going from oldest to latest, if I
am looking for something, it is most likely something very old since my most
recent mails I can find easily by looking in the correct folder. Older
stuff (order from an online purchase 8 months ago) is going to be harder to
remember so having search go from oldest to newest works VERY well for me.

YMMV.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Jennifer Q asked:

| I am using Outlook 2003 SP3 on WinXP SP2. In Outlook, when I use the
| Tools | Find feature for a very basic search, I have noticed
| something odd. It seems that Outlook finds the oldest messages first
| and the newest messages last. This does not seem so helpful to me.
|
| Can anyone shed some explanantion on how Outlook conducts this
| search, and why the oldest messages are retrieved first? Also, is
| there a way to change this behavior? I'd like Outlook to retrieve the
| newest messages first.
|
| Thanks,
| Jennifer

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

No, I don't file. I just don't remember rmail stuff from 6 months ago but can remember stuff from 6 days ago. Otherwise, I have an eidetic memory.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Jennifer Q asked:

| Oh, you're one of those people who files, eh? JK
| ;-)
|
| Thanks for the input, all of you!!!
|
| Jennifer
|
| | However, in support of the search function going from oldest to
| latest, if I am looking for something, it is most likely something
| very old since my most recent mails I can find easily by looking in
| the correct folder. Older stuff (order from an online purchase 8
| months ago) is going to be harder to remember so having search go
| from oldest to newest works VERY well for me.
|
| YMMV.
|
| --
| Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]
|
| Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
| unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
| reading.
|
| After furious head scratching, Jennifer Q asked:
|
|| I am using Outlook 2003 SP3 on WinXP SP2. In Outlook, when I use the
|| Tools | Find feature for a very basic search, I have noticed
|| something odd. It seems that Outlook finds the oldest messages first
|| and the newest messages last. This does not seem so helpful to me.
||
|| Can anyone shed some explanantion on how Outlook conducts this
|| search, and why the oldest messages are retrieved first? Also, is
|| there a way to change this behavior? I'd like Outlook to retrieve the
|| newest messages first.
||
|| Thanks,
|| Jennifer