OL98: Creating a From Rule for an Internet Mail Address

In Microsoft Outlook, Internet Mail addresses in the "From" field of Inbox Assistant rules or Rules Wizard rules may not work correctly. This article describes how to define Internet Mail addresses in the From field of the rule so that they are correctly recognized.

The information in the incoming message header may include more than just the Internet address in the From field. Therefore, typing or pasting just the Internet address into the From field may result in an incorrect compare and the address may not be recognized.

There are three methods to create a From rule for Internet Mail.

• Use an entry in the Personal Address Book.
• Use an entry in the Contact list.
• Use the Create Rule feature.

NOTE: If you are using the Internet Mail Only installation of Outlook, the first step does not apply since the Personal Address Book is not used.

Use an Entry in the Personal Address Book

To create an entry for the Internet addressee in the Personal Address Book, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Address Book.
2. In the "Show Names from the" list, click Personal Address Book.
3. On the File menu, click New Entry.
4. In the "Select the entry type" list, click Internet Address and click OK.
5. In the Display Name box, type the addressee's name.
6. In the E-mail Address box, type or paste the addressee's e-mail address.
7. Click OK to close the Address Book.

When defining the From rule, use the addressee's Display Name as entered in the Personal Address Book instead of the Internet address.

Use an Entry in the Contact List

To create an entry for the Internet addressee in the Contact list, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, point to New and click Contact.
2. Type the addressee's name in the Full Name box.
3. Type or paste the Internet address in the E-mail box.
4. Enter any additional information and click Save And Close.

When defining the From rule, use the addressee's full name as entered in the Contact record instead of the Internet address.

Use the Create Rule Feature

To use the Create Rule feature, follow these steps:

1. Open a received message to which the rule is to apply.
2. On the Actions menu, click Create Rule.

This inserts the correct Internet Mail address in the From field.