OLEXP: Loop-Causing Rule Not Applied and No Error Message Displayed

If you create an Inbox Assistant rule that causes a loop to occur, the rule appears in the list of rules that are applied to messages as they arrive in your Inbox but the rule may not actually be applied. Note that no error message is displayed when you create the rule or when a message arrives that meets the rule's criteria.

To prevent this behavior from occurring, do not create rules that cause a loop to occur. If you create a rule that appears in the list of rules that are applied to messages but that is not actually applied, check the rule's properties to see if it causes a loop to occur. If a rule causes a loop to occur, remove the rule or modify its properties so that it no longer causes a loop to occur.

Rules that forward messages to your own e-mail account can cause a loop to occur. For example, the following rule causes a loop to occur: If you receive a message that contains "Test" on the Subject line and the rule is actually applied to the message, the message is forwarded to your e-mail address. Because the forwarded message contains "Test" on the Subject line, the rule is applied again, another message is forwarded to your e-mail address, and the loop continues.

To prevent the loop from occurring, Outlook Express does not actually apply the rule to the original message when it arrives in your Inbox.