Outlook Search Folders

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I need an Outlook search folder to show messages to and from one person. The
problem is that although that person has a single email address
([email protected]), the email address gets displayed in various forms depending
on the source of the email message. For example, it might be displayed as
'Fred Jones', 'Fred', etc. - this seems to be based on how the originator has
the display name set up in his address book. The annoying thing is that the
search folder selection doesn't seem to resolve all these different display
names down to the real email address, so I have to speciy my search criteria
as 'fred Jones';'Fred';[email protected];'(e-mail address removed)' - all the variations I
come across - this is crazy, and makes it almost unusable.

Any ideas?
 
In
Alan Davies said:
I need an Outlook search folder to show messages to and from one
person. The problem is that although that person has a single email
address ([email protected]), the email address gets displayed in various
forms depending on the source of the email message. For example, it
might be displayed as 'Fred Jones', 'Fred', etc. - this seems to be
based on how the originator has the display name set up in his
address book. The annoying thing is that the search folder selection
doesn't seem to resolve all these different display names down to the
real email address, so I have to speciy my search criteria as 'fred
Jones';'Fred';[email protected];'(e-mail address removed)' - all the variations I
come across - this is crazy, and makes it almost unusable.

Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Since Bob Smith, (e-mail address removed), and Bob Smith,
(e-mail address removed) , might have the same display name, this is
probably not going to help you anyway. The search folder isn't resolving
anything down to your own contacts....it's just looking in the message
headers. How many email addresses does Fred actually use? Just add
(e-mail address removed) and (e-mail address removed) to the search folder criteria,
and don't worry about the display names.
 
I wish it were the case that Outlook is looking at the real email address,
but it doesn't appear to be. If I just use (e-mail address removed), then an email that
comes in from Fred, but using his display name, gets excluded from the search
folder! If another one comes in on which he's copied, but his address has a
different display name on the sender's mail client, that gets excluded also.
It really is as if Outlook is not looking down to the underlying email
address, but just matching on display name. Seriously, I get different
results with search criteria: "Marc-Andre Fontaine; (e-mail address removed)",
compared with just "(e-mail address removed)". I can give you examples if it
helps...
 
In
Alan Davies said:
I wish it were the case that Outlook is looking at the real email
address, but it doesn't appear to be. If I just use (e-mail address removed),
then an email that comes in from Fred, but using his display name,
gets excluded from the search folder! If another one comes in on
which he's copied, but his address has a different display name on
the sender's mail client, that gets excluded also. It really is as if
Outlook is not looking down to the underlying email address, but just
matching on display name. Seriously, I get different results with
search criteria: "Marc-Andre Fontaine; (e-mail address removed)", compared
with just "(e-mail address removed)". I can give you examples if it
helps...
Click to expand...

I've got several search folders set up and it seems to work fine using the
actual e-mail address, for me. The display name isn't who the message is
from, or to, of course - that's just a 'friendly' way for you to see it. Did
you try setting up a custom one, or are you using the default/built in stuff
(e.g., mail to and from a specific person)?
 
I'm using the built-in (mail to and from a specific person). Here are some
more diagnostics:

If I just use my colleague Marc's email address ([email protected]) alone,
the search folder just shows 10 emails sent to him from me. All of them
display as - To: (e-mail address removed) in the Outlook reading pane.

If I add 'Marc-Andre Fontaine' to the search criteria. by choosing his name
from the Contacts list, the search folder now shows 66 emails sent to him
from me. The extra ones display as To: Marc-Andre Fontaine in the Outlook
reading pane.

If I now add 'Marc Fontaine' to the search criteria. by typing it in (some
of my colleagues have Marcs display name in that form), the search folder now
shows 80 emails sent to him from me. The extra ones display as To: (or Cc:)
Marc Fontaine in the Outlook reading pane.

Note that Marc has only one business email address: (e-mail address removed), and
the underlying email address behind the different display names is that
address.

This problem only seems to occur for emails I send out. The number of mails
received displayed remains constant.
 
More diagnostics for the Outlook Search folders problem:

1. One of my colleagues is Richard Whitaker, his only email address is
(e-mail address removed). His display name (at least in my Outlook Contacts) is
Richard Whitaker. See
http://www.pinkelk.com/images/screenshots/RichardContact.jpg for a screenshot
of the Contact record.

2. I set up a search folder for all emails sent to and from:
(e-mail address removed) (just his full email address). The result is a search
folder with just 11 emails from me (Alan Davies). See
http://www.pinkelk.com/images/screenshots/EmailOnlyResults.jpg for a
screenshot showing the criteria, and the results.

3. If I modify the criteria to include Richard by his display name
(selected from the Contacts folder), the result is a search folder with 54
emails from me (Alan Davies). See
http://www.pinkelk.com/images/screenshots/DisplayNamePlusEmailResults.jpg for
a screenshot showing the criteria, and the results.

Kind regards,

Alan Davies
(e-mail address removed)
+1 818 415 0211
 
I think that what is happening is this:

When Outlook saves a copy of an email I send out, it's not saving the full
SMTP source of the email, including the full email address of the recipient,
just the display name. This is corroborated to an extent by the fact that if
I select such a message, and choose Message Options, the Internet headers box
is empty. (I can't find a way to look at the message source in Outlook 2003)
=. In the absence of the full email address to match on, it matches on
display name only.

This, I think, is a bug. Can you provide me with a workround - like forcing
Outlook to keep Internet headers for outgoing messages?

Regards,

Alan Davies
(e-mail address removed)
 
OK, I've got to the root of this problem. Below is a simple test which will
demonstrate the bug:

1. For an email recipient not in your Contacts folder (e.g.
(e-mail address removed)), send out an email, subject: Test 1
2. Set up a Search Folder for email to and from (e-mail address removed).
3. Add the person to your Contacts folder, with a display name of 'Alan
Davies', send out an email to that display name, Subject: Test 2
4. Set up a Search Folder for email to and from display name 'Alan Davies'.
5. Change that Contact display name to 'Alan Different', send out an email
to that display name, Subject: Test 3
6. Set up a Search Folder for email to and from display name 'Alan
Different'.
7. Each Search folder will show 3 different results, demonstrating that for
outgoing emails, Outlook is not resolving display names down to email
addresses to match messages in search folders, but using the display name
that was in place (if any) when the email was sent out.
8. Note that this includes using the display name a cc'ed recipient of an
incoming email, sent out using 'reply to all' - which is very often different
to the local display name.

Kind regards,

Alan Davies
(e-mail address removed)
818 415 0211
 
Alan,
I've run into this exact problem, had nearly identified the issue (but not
as well as you have), and have been asking MS people -- including a few
people on the Office team -- about it.

I suspect that they've not been using Search Folders the way you and I do
(although they should!) or they would have uncovered this and fixed it in an
Office service pack.

I think the only work around is to not only include a domain name for a
criteria but -- if possible -- include the specific email address AND display
name for the parties you want to track. Otherwise, Outlook won't find their
mail!

Good job! You should consider becoming an Office MVP.

Thanks!
RHS
 
Thank you Richard. So, is this problem now on the Outlook known errors list,
and on it's way to being fixed? If not, perhaps you can advise how best to
get it on the radar of the Office support people. I'm really surprised more
people haven't reported it, it seems an obvious use of Search Folders to me...
 
Alan,
I believe that the Outlook team watch this list, and Office MVPs are all
over the place here (I'm not, I'm a C# MVP; but if you write a lotta
programs, you have a lot of ideas as to what's happening -- or not -- in
someone else's).

So I suspect this has already been picked up, but I'll refer it on from my
end as well.
Thanks!
RHS
 
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