View by Conversation...

[Homer J. Simpson]

After many years of using Outlook, and much to my embarassment, I've *just*
discovered the View by Conversation option (duh), and being used to the
typical Usenet reader's threaded view, I definitely prefer it over the
standard "sort by date in descending order" view that I've been using
forever in Outlook. I've quickly noticed a few quirks though:

a) I like to have each conversation auto-expanded, so the line that shows
the subject (in light gray) and the little expand/collapse button (on the
left side) becomes redundant. Is there a way to remove it, as well as the
horizontal line that separates each conversation? Actually the horizontal
line doesn't bother me, but I'd definitely like to get rid of the extra
subject line with the expand/collapse button.

b) My own replies to conversations aren't shown, but I'm not terribly
surprised at this since I typically don't include myself in my own replies
(and thus they don't end up in my inbox). Can some custom view be created,
I guess, merging the Sent Items folder with the Inbox?

c) It looks to me like Outlook simply uses the subject line to identify
what's part of a conversation and what isn't, as opposed to "proper"
threading such as that used by Usenet readers like Outlook Express. I mean,
if I start a new thread that just happens to have the exact same subject
line as an older message, it'll be lumped along with that older
"conversation". What's the trick to making Outlook behave so when I (or
anyone else) start a brand new message, *it* should be used as the basis for
a new thread as opposed to just the text of the subject line? I suspect
this one can't be solved because of some underlying architectural
limitation...

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Of course I should also have specified that I'm currently using Outlook
2003.

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

a. See Other settings in Customize views. If you don't know how to get to
customize views, see http://www.outlook-tips.net/beginner/viewmenu.htm. most
of the things you want are there - you can't get rid of the subject line
though, just choose between wide and narrow (shaded = narrow) If the
conversation group subject includes a label, you can remove that in Format
Columns.

b. no. You'd need to either cc yourself or move the messages to another
folder. There is a setting in Tools, Options, Email options advanced button
that moves sent messages to the folder with the original if other than the
inbox.

c. Outlook is not usenet reader. Outlook historically does not use the same
index fields for grouping by conversation that other mail clients use, so it
uses it's own conversation field (thread-index in 2007, a different field in
older versions) and supplants it with the subject field. It's really not
reliable unless everyone uses outlook. It's a poor threader with mailing
lists and conversations are often broken, depending on the mail clients the
other members use and the list server software.