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re: Microsoft Outlook
Posted on 7/25/18 at 10:47 am to TexasTiger34
Posted on 7/25/18 at 10:47 am to TexasTiger34
quote:
i group all projects by folder, in them there are subfolders by topic (materials, PM, engineering issues, procurement issues etc.), even in those subfolders there are 10-15 conversations going on at one time. my folder tree is rather expansive. i guess i could start breaking down into sub-sub-sub folders but at some point it starts to get a little ridiculous. if you saw my outlook, you'd agree. that's part of the reason i keep oustanding/open conversations that still need resolution in the inbox(where i used to be able to sort by subject, effectively) so i know what's still outstanding.
yikes
You sound like the .001% of users, those guys that the IT people absolutely hate... because you actually use the technology to the point of breaking it (this is a good thing mind you, in Technology we set these things up to be used, and I'm glad you are actually using it
) I think the biggest issue you might be running into with at least here - is communication. I work in IT and I just went back and read everything you have asked... and it's frankly super confusing what exactly you are trying to do. As an IT guy I would have you sit down and do every single thing you are trying to do and show it to your tier 1 / tier 2 guys. It might not be a "fix" exactly how you want it, but typically the customer service leaning IT guys (those at the Service Desk) might actually have some idea that could make your life a lot easier.
Like I said, even with everything you've said, it's still very confusing why a simple search wouldn't bring up the conversation the way I see it when I search for stuff (little information about myself: I actually do not use folders, and I don't even look at half of my emails, everyone does workflow differently)
I don't know, it sounds like your problem is visual, and unfortunately for you - visual issues are hard to diagnose on a message board.
ETA: I had typed this out before your response earlier this morning... and even after reading that, I'm still not fully sure why your search isn't working without being able to SEE what is happening. That's kinda the unfortunate part of visual Technology like Outlook - it usually takes a hands-on person, or at least someone remoted in to see what exactly is going on
This post was edited on 7/25/18 at 10:52 am
1
Posted on 7/25/18 at 10:55 am to TexasTiger34
quote:
too easy is it to assume the other person is just doing it wrong
I meant that I was not getting anywhere. I don't plan to throw my credentials in this thread but I have been around for a long time.
Posted on 7/25/18 at 11:23 am to t00f
i wasn't really directing that statement to you, it was more of a general one referencing topics like this
Posted on 7/25/18 at 11:25 am to BaddestAndvari
quote:
I don't know, it sounds like your problem is visual, and unfortunately for you - visual issues are hard to diagnose on a message board.
understandable. that's usually why IT remotes in to my PC for me to show them.
Posted on 7/25/18 at 11:47 am to TexasTiger34
quote:
i wasn't really directing that statement to you, it was more of a general one referencing topics like this
Understood and agreed.
if you ever want IT people without attitude lemme know, I can facilitate
Posted on 7/25/18 at 11:54 am to t00f
quote:
if you ever want IT people without attitude lemme know, I can facilitate
they exist, but even the good ones will get in a mood if someone ever decides to talk down to them...
Everyone who is in IT should be forced to work a HelpDesk at least for a few months - customer service is lost in our industry constantly. On the other hand, I wish people didn't view IT staff as just an extension of the "help" sometime - most of the time we have extensive training, for a lot of IT professionals: more than most Engineers even, with even more stringent regulations / controlling bodies than a whole heck of a lot of professions.
I'm generally happy to help people out, anytime - but if somewhere where to get condescending to me on the job, shove up their nose and say "There is no such thing as an Engineer in the Technology field" - I would breath deeply, turn around, and walk away
(and this is from the son of a Mechanical Engineer, and the brother of an Aerospace Engineer, both of who work for NASA)Posted on 7/25/18 at 11:57 am to BaddestAndvari
I have an IT company, I know.
Posted on 7/25/18 at 12:54 pm to TexasTiger34
quote:
So i've attempted this with several conversations and it's not working well because when i copy and paste the exact subject line from the conversation i'm interested in into the search bar, select "subject search" the subject i'm searching for is not only not unique enough to rule out the 50 other email chains that also have those word(s) in their subject line, but it also pulls up other conversations that may only have one word or number from the subject line i searched in their subject line.
The correct way to do this is as follows:
In the search box in Outlook, type the following:
subject:SUBJECT OF EMAIL
If this is producing too many similar emails, then add quotes around the subject as follows:
subject:"SUBJECT OF EMAIL IN QUOTES"
This should completely eliminate the issues where there are slight differences in the subject that are leading to undesired search results.
You can also remove "subject:" from the search parameter and just paste the complete subject (with or without quotes) to catch emails where the sender has modified the subject manually, as the search will find the subject in the reply section of the message body.
I know this is a method that has worked for you and it's what you're used to, but it's really a clunky and imprecise way to find emails. You are limited by your current view (so sorting across folders is not an option) and you are also relying heavily on someone not changing or adding to the subject. What if someone adds "IMPORTANT!" or "UPDATE!" to the beginning of the email? You're going to miss those in your subject sort.
I know that search functionality sucked royally in previous versions of Outlook. It was slow and the results were crap, so a lot of people simply wrote it off. But in the latest versions of Outlook (2013 and 2016 for sure, I don't remember how it was in 2010) it's pretty nice. It's fast, flexible and produces excellent results. I think if you take a few minutes to learn it and play around with it, you will find that it does what you need.
Good luck.
Posted on 7/25/18 at 7:20 pm to mdomingue
quote:
The gentleman ask for a solution to a problem caused by your group when they modified an email policy.
If he tries to circumvent security policy he runs the risk of losing his job. Whether it's the best way to handle such emails is a different question, but employees can get into major trouble trying to "get around" IT policy for the sake of convenience.
Sure, OP can complain about it (and should) but that's about it.
quote:
using engineer in your title without have a PE is actionable in most states
Don't be a moron.
Posted on 7/26/18 at 8:34 am to foshizzle
quote:
If he tries to circumvent security policy he runs the risk of losing his job. Whether it's the best way to handle such emails is a different question, but employees can get into major trouble trying to "get around" IT policy for the sake of convenience.
Sure, OP can complain about it (and should) but that's about it.
jesus fricking christ for the 100th time that i've had to say it this thread in no way was i ever trying to "circumvent security policy" or "subvert security measures"
that's the problem with the IT people at my company, my parent company and the IT people in this thread. not a single one of you read through the details of my request thoroughly enough to understand that i'm simply trying to change the functionality of the sort function and not the security policy AT ALL.
outlook already has a macro or algorithm that ignores the "RE:" and "FW:" when sorting but subject, my whole goal was trying to add "[EXTERNAL]" to what it ignores...
i feel like i'm taking crazy pills right now. or like i mentioned before, talking to a bunch of foreigners who can't quite grasp the English language.
Posted on 7/26/18 at 8:37 am to whitefoot
quote:
If this is producing too many similar emails, then add quotes around the subject as follows:
subject:"SUBJECT OF EMAIL IN QUOTES"
just tried this, and it actually works. the only issue i see now is that you have to search, pull out the advanced search or search tools interface into a seperate window, search specifically as you mentioned and then it pulls all emails with that exact subject line and displays them in a box below with no preview pane so you have to open all the emails individually to read their content as opposed to the functionality of performing this in your regular inbox which would list them all and allow you to preview the body content.
This will work for now, thanks for your suggestion! Wish there was a more convenient option, however. Already discussing upgrading to 2016 or 365 with some higher ups.
Posted on 7/26/18 at 9:33 am to TexasTiger34
quote:
the IT people in this thread. not a single one of you read through the details of my request thoroughly enough to understand that i'm simply trying to change the functionality of the sort function and not the security policy AT ALL.
Hey now! At least ONE of us read your request and learned what you were trying to accomplish.
Posted on 7/26/18 at 9:57 am to TexasTiger34
Why are you using the advanced find? I haven't found that it produces any better results than simply typing my search terms in the built-in search box at the top of Outlook.
Why can't you view the search results with the reading pane on? The view of the search results should just mimic the view you have set for the folder you're in.
As for your upgrade request, honestly I'm not sure if you're going to even notice a difference between Outlook 2013 and 2016. 2013's search functionality is basically identical to 2016. I have 2016 on my laptop and 2013 on a laptop that I often have to remote in to and there is very little difference from what I can tell. Have you read about a particular feature that's available in 2016 that's not available in 2013?
Why can't you view the search results with the reading pane on? The view of the search results should just mimic the view you have set for the folder you're in.
As for your upgrade request, honestly I'm not sure if you're going to even notice a difference between Outlook 2013 and 2016. 2013's search functionality is basically identical to 2016. I have 2016 on my laptop and 2013 on a laptop that I often have to remote in to and there is very little difference from what I can tell. Have you read about a particular feature that's available in 2016 that's not available in 2013?
Posted on 7/26/18 at 10:30 am to whitefoot
quote:
Hey now! At least ONE of us read your request and learned what you were trying to accomplish.
sorry, you're the exception!
Posted on 7/26/18 at 10:35 am to whitefoot
quote:
Why are you using the advanced find? I haven't found that it produces any better results than simply typing my search terms in the built-in search box at the top of Outlook.
Why can't you view the search results with the reading pane on? The view of the search results should just mimic the view you have set for the folder you're in.
Bingo. This works, fantastic, this is all I was looking for and it appears to be the easiest solution that allows for all the functionality i was looking for and only a minimal amount of extra effort.
Thanks for taking the time to fully read the request and work through the solution.
Let me know if you're ever looking for a job!
Posted on 7/26/18 at 11:54 am to TexasTiger34
quote:
Bingo. This works, fantastic, this is all I was looking for and it appears to be the easiest solution that allows for all the functionality i was looking for and only a minimal amount of extra effort.
Thanks for taking the time to fully read the request and work through the solution.
Awesome. I'm glad to hear that. Here's a pointer to further help you avoid the advanced search box. You can specify fields in the built-in search box as well. So, if you need an email from a particular person, just type "from:person's email address or name". Or an email you received on a particular day "received:7/26/2018". Don't forget to try searching with quotes if you want the exact phrase and without quotes if you want more results. Through trial an error you can kind of figure out how to customize your searches to give you the best results in particular situations. For example, if searching for email messages from John Johnson, if you enter from:John Johnson, you're going to get messages from John Johnson, but also from every other John and every other Johnson in your mailbox. But, from:"John Johnson" will give you only messages from John Johnson.
quote:
Let me know if you're ever looking for a job!
Thanks. My current job is pretty awesome, but you never know.
Posted on 7/26/18 at 12:53 pm to whitefoot
Much appreciated. 
Posted on 7/26/18 at 1:07 pm to TexasTiger34
We should get OP’s coworkers to troll him by typing out EXTERNAL in the subject of every email
Posted on 7/26/18 at 3:39 pm to TexasTiger34
quote:
TexasTiger34
quote:
100's emails a week like I do.
I had initially misread that thinking you were saying you got about 100 e-mails a week.
In my work e-mail I am at 121 for the week with an hour to go today and I was out half a day this morning for a training. I'll breeze by 150 alone just for my first job. I'm not counting e-mails for my side hustle or other, personal and professional stuff I do on the side.
I'm easily around 300-400 a week. All while adhering to Inbox Zero. Suck it Haters with thousands of unread e-mails.
Posted on 7/26/18 at 4:19 pm to GFunk
hi, i like to brag about how many emails i get
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