Outlook 2007 rule only works when run manually

[John Radigan]

I've set up a rule at the top of the list that uses the condition "through
the specified account" to check all messages after they have arrived and send
all messages received through that account to a special folder. The rule
works occasionally (1 out of 20 or so) when running normally. Most of the
messages end up in the Inbox anyway. However, if I run the rule manually (ie
'Run Rules Now') in the Inbox, the rule works fine, moving everything that
came through the specified account to where I told it to in the first place.

Makes no sense to me. Any ideas? Thanks!

 

[Brian Tillman]

I've set up a rule at the top of the list that uses the condition
"through the specified account" to check all messages after they have
arrived and send all messages received through that account to a
special folder. The rule works occasionally (1 out of 20 or so) when
running normally. Most of the messages end up in the Inbox anyway.
However, if I run the rule manually (ie 'Run Rules Now') in the
Inbox, the rule works fine, moving everything that came through the
specified account to where I told it to in the first place.

Do you have "stop processing more rules" as an action on that rule? You
should.

 

[John Radigan]

Yes I do

Do you have "stop processing more rules" as an action on that rule? You
should.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Yes I do

What I'd do would be to add the Accounts column to the header bar and verify
that, in fact, the messages are arriving with the account I believe they
should. If you have more than one account that references the same mailbox,
maybe it's being received by another account and you don't realize it.

 

[John Radigan]

Great idea. I did that and yes, they are arriving in the account I expected,
but they are not being moved as I specified. If I run the rule manually, they
are moved as expected.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Great idea. I did that and yes, they are arriving in the account I
expected, but they are not being moved as I specified. If I run the
rule manually, they are moved as expected.

Alas, I can't explain it.

 

[F.H. Muffman]

Yes I do

Great idea. I did that and yes, they are arriving in the account I
expected, but they are not being moved as I specified. If I run the
rule manually, they are moved as expected.

What type of mail account? IMAP?

 

[John Radigan]

I know what's going on now. The Junk Email filters are getting to these
messages before the Rules are run. I never use the junk email stuff so it
never occurred to me. Anyhow, the junk email filter was set to 'low' and it
was moving stuff before my rules were being run.

Thanks for scratching your head along with me on this one...

 

[F.H. Muffman]

Yes I do

I know what's going on now. The Junk Email filters are getting to
these messages before the Rules are run. I never use the junk email
stuff so it never occurred to me. Anyhow, the junk email filter was
set to 'low' and it was moving stuff before my rules were being run.

Thanks for scratching your head along with me on this one...

Well, actually, if you had said that the messages were ending up in your
Junk Mail folder, I wouldn't have been scratching my head. In fact, you
said they were ending up in the Inbox.

Yes, Junk Email filters hit before rules, so as to prevent you from autoforwarding
a message that is actually junk mail to your boss/family/whoever just because
it manages to match a rule.