Outlook - A macro to create folders

In this short article we will show you an example of a problem related with creating folders with a MACRO in Outlook.

Example

You receive emails that have a "word" in the title of the email in the format of issue-xxxx, where xxxx is a 4 digit number.

You create a mailbox folder called issues and what you would like the MACRO to do is to find all emails with a string of the format issue-xxxx in the title and look for a folder under issues with that same name. If one is not found, then it should be created. The email should then be moved to that subfolder.

Solution

File projects in their own subfolders:

Searches subject for a M or Z project number (must be between 4-6 digits).

Files them in a project subfolder (create folder if one does not exist).

Here is the code:

Dim WithEvents objInboxItems As Outlook.Items

Dim objDestinationFolder As Outlook.MAPIFolder

Sub Application_Startup()

Dim objNameSpace As Outlook.NameSpace

Dim objInboxFolder As Outlook.MAPIFolder

Set objNameSpace = Application.Session

Set objInboxFolder = objNameSpace.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox)

Set objInboxItems = objInboxFolder.Items

Set objDestinationFolder = objInboxFolder.Parent.Folders("Projects")

End Sub

' Run this code to stop your rule.

Sub StopRule()

Set objInboxItems = Nothing

End Sub

' This code is the actual rule.

Private Sub objInboxItems_ItemAdd(ByVal Item As Object)

Dim objProjectFolder As Outlook.MAPIFolder

Dim folderName As String

Set objRegEx = CreateObject("VBScript.RegExp")

objRegEx.Global = False

' Search for email subjects that contains project number (M007439, Z6312)

objRegEx.Pattern = "([M,Z,P,R,#]d{4,6})"

Set colMatches = objRegEx.Execute(Item.Subject)

If colMatches.Count > 0 Then

For Each myMatch In colMatches

If Left$(myMatch.Value, 1) = "#" Then

folderName = "M" & Right$("00" & Mid$(myMatch.Value, 2), 6)

Else

folderName = Left$(myMatch.Value, 1) & Right$("00" & Mid$(myMatch.Value, 2), 6)

End If

If FolderExists(objDestinationFolder, folderName) Then

Set objProjectFolder = objDestinationFolder.Folders(folderName)

Else

Set objProjectFolder = objDestinationFolder.Folders.Add(folderName)

End If

Item.Move objProjectFolder

Next

End If

Set objProjectFolder = Nothing

End Sub

Function FolderExists(parentFolder As MAPIFolder, folderName As String)

Dim tmpInbox As MAPIFolder

On Error GoTo handleError

' If the folder doesn't exist, there will be an error in the next

' line. That error will cause the error handler to go to :handleError

' and skip the True return value

Set tmpInbox = parentFolder.Folders(folderName)

FolderExists = True

Exit Function

handleError:

FolderExists = False

End Function

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