After you configure one or more client-only message rules in Outlook, other message rules do not take effect (892240)

SYMPTOMS

After you configure one or more client-only message rules in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003, Microsoft Office Outlook 2002, or Microsoft Office Outlook 2000, other message rules that you have configured in Microsoft Outlook do not take effect when you receive an e-mail message.

Note By default, if Outlook is configured to connect to a Microsoft Exchange Server computer, message rules that you create in Outlook are applied to your e-mail messages even if Outlook is not running. These message rules are server-side rules. If a message rule specifies an action that cannot be applied on the Exchange Server computer, the rule is a client-only rule. An example of a client-only rule is a rule that moves a message to a particular folder in a personal folders file (.pst). A client-only rule is only applied when Outlook is running. When you use the Rules Wizard to create message rules in Outlook, you receive the following message if you create a client-only message rule: This rule is a client-only rule, and will process only when Outlook is running.

CAUSE

This issue occurs if all the following conditions are true:

You create a client-only message rule.
In the client-only message rule, you click to select the stop processing more rules check box on the What do you want to do with the message? page of the Rules Wizard.
The client-only message rule appears ahead of the server-side rules in the Rule (applied in the order shown) list on the E-mail Rules tab of the Rules and Alerts dialog box in Outlook.

When a rule that contains a client-only condition appears in the Rule (applied in the order shown) list in Outlook, and if this rule has the stop processing more rules check box selected, none of the server-side message rules that appear after this client-only rule are triggered. Exchange Server cannot evaluate the client-only rule condition. Therefore, Exchange Server cannot determine whether to process the remaining server-side rules.

WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, follow these steps.

Step 1: Modify Outlook message rules to reduce client-only conditions

Modify your message rules to try to reduce client-only conditions. For example, if a message rule contains a client-only condition such as with specific words in the recipient's address, modify it so that it uses one of the following server-side conditions instead:

with specific words in the message header
sent to people or distribution list

To modify a message rule in Outlook, follow these steps:

Start Outlook.
On the Tools menu, click Rules and Alerts.
On the E-mail Rules tab, click the client-only rule that you want to modify, and then click Edit Rule Settings on the Change Rule menu.
Under Step 1: Select condition(s), click to clear the check box for the client-only condition. For example, click to clear the with specific words in the recipient's address check box.
Click to select the check box for the server-side condition that you want to use. For example, click to select the sent to people or distribution list check box.
Under Step 2: Edit the rule description (click and underlined value), click the underlined value that corresponds to the rule condition that you want to configure. For example, click people or distribution list.
Click or type the value that you want to configure as the rule condition, and then click OK.
After you finish changing client-only conditions to server-side conditions, click Finish.

Step 2: Put server-side rules ahead of client-only rules in Outlook

Try to arrange message rules in Outlook so that all the server-side message rules are processed before client-only message rules are processed. To do this, follow these steps:

Start Outlook.
On the Tools menu, click Rules and Alerts.
On the E-mail Rules tab, click the client-only rule that you want to modify. For example, click rule name (client-only).
Repeatedly, click the Move Down button that appears as a down arrow to move this rule under other rules in the Rule (applied in the order shown) list.
When you are finished moving client-only rules to the bottom of the Rule (applied in the order shown) list, click OK.