Rule for blank subject lines?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Barbara Graham
  • Start date Start date
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Barbara Graham

Is it possible to create a rule for processing incoming email with a blank
subject line? (I know how to create rules, and have a lot of them, but I
couldn't see how to do one about a blank subject line.) Thank you to anyone
who can help.
 
"Barbara Graham" said in news:[email protected]:
Is it possible to create a rule for processing incoming email with a
blank subject line? (I know how to create rules, and have a lot of
them, but I couldn't see how to do one about a blank subject line.)
Thank you to anyone who can help.
Click to expand...

So what does a blank line NOT have? Any characters. Think in reverse.
You are trying to trigger an action on messages with no characters in
their Subject line. Instead perform that action on all messages unless
there is at least one character in their Subject header. Use an
exception clause. Define a rule like (this is not verbatim):

Apply this rule after the message arrives
Move to Junk folder (or delete or whatever you want)
Except if the Subject contains 'a' or ... or 'z' or '0' or ... or '9'
Stop processing more rules

That means all messages will moved, deleted, or whatever UNLESS they
have at least one alphanumeric character in the Subject line. While
some rules in Outlook are actually case sensitive, like those that look
in the message headers, tests made on the Subject header are case
insensitive, so you only need to 'OR' 36 characters in the rule instead
of 62. You could even skip testing for the presence of "0..9" (zero
through 9, inclusive) on the assumption that you will never get a
Subject that only has numerics in it.
 
Very cool. Thanks.


*Vanguard* said:
"Barbara Graham" said in news:[email protected]:

So what does a blank line NOT have? Any characters. Think in reverse.
You are trying to trigger an action on messages with no characters in
their Subject line. Instead perform that action on all messages unless
there is at least one character in their Subject header. Use an
exception clause. Define a rule like (this is not verbatim):

Apply this rule after the message arrives
Move to Junk folder (or delete or whatever you want)
Except if the Subject contains 'a' or ... or 'z' or '0' or ... or '9'
Stop processing more rules

That means all messages will moved, deleted, or whatever UNLESS they
have at least one alphanumeric character in the Subject line. While
some rules in Outlook are actually case sensitive, like those that look
in the message headers, tests made on the Subject header are case
insensitive, so you only need to 'OR' 36 characters in the rule instead
of 62. You could even skip testing for the presence of "0..9" (zero
through 9, inclusive) on the assumption that you will never get a
Subject that only has numerics in it.
Click to expand...
 
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