Using the "Rules and Alerts" option to "run a script", the list of scripts to run is empty. What makes a script appear in the list?
The argument must by type MailItem or MeetingItem for the subroutine to be available in the Rules Wizard in Outlook 2007. In Outlook 2010 and 2013 (and up), PostItem also works.
You need to avoid processing messages using more than one rule when you are using a run a script rule. Run a script rules should be placed at the top of the rules list and include the "stop processing" action.
All actions should be in the script - don't combine actions in the rule with the run a script rule. Include all of the actions you want to take on the items that meet the rule's conditions in the VBA procedure.
Something like this:
Public Sub ShowMessage(Item As Outlook.MailItem) 'code End Sub
Using VBA Editor
Open Outlook's VBA editor by pressing Alt+F11 and expand Microsoft Office Outlook Objects then double click on ThisOutlookSession.
You'll type or paste the code into the module, then create the rule with the 'run script' Action and select this script
Create a Run a Script Rule
After the script is written, you need to add it to a rule.
If you have Outlook 2016 and run a script action is missing, see "Run-a-Script Rules Missing in Outlook" for the fix.
- Open Rules Wizard. In Outlook 2010 and 2013, it's on Outlook's Home ribbon,
Rules > Manage Rules & Alerts. Look on the Tools menu in older versions.
- Click New Rule.
- Select Apply Rule on messages I receive and click Next.
- Select your conditions and click Next.
- Select Run a script action (near the bottom).
- Click on a script.
- Select your script, click OK.
- Click Next then finish the rule.
For best results, all actions should be in the script.
More Information
More Run a Script Samples:
- Autoaccept a Meeting Request using Rules
- Automatically Add a Category to Accepted Meetings
- Blocking Mail From New Top-Level Domains
- Convert RTF Messages to Plain Text Format
- Create a rule to delete mail after a number of days
- Create a Task from an Email using a Rule
- Create an Outlook Appointment from a Message
- Create Appointment From Email Automatically
- Delegates, Meeting Requests, and Rules
- Delete attachments from messages
- Forward meeting details to another address
- How to Change the Font used for Outlook's RSS Feeds
- How to Process Mail After Business Hours
- Keep Canceled Meetings on Outlook's Calendar
- Macro to Print Outlook email attachments as they arrive
- Move messages CC'd to an address
- Open All Hyperlinks in an Outlook Email Message
- Outlook AutoReplies: One Script, Many Responses
- Outlook's Rules and Alerts: Run a Script
- Process messages received on a day of the week
- Read Outlook Messages using Plain Text
- Receive a Reminder When a Message Doesn't Arrive?
- Run a script rule: Autoreply using a template
- Run a script rule: Reply to a message
- Run a Script Rule: Send a New Message when a Message Arrives
- Run Rules Now using a Macro
- Run-a-Script Rules Missing in Outlook
- Save all incoming messages to the hard drive
- Save and Rename Outlook Email Attachments
- Save Attachments to the Hard Drive
- Save Outlook Email as a PDF
- Sort messages by Sender domain
- Talking Reminders
- To create a rule with wildcards
- Use a Macro to Copy Data in an Email to Excel
- Use a Rule to delete older messages as new ones arrive
- Use a run a script rule to mark messages read
- Use VBA to move messages with attachments
Additional Information:
- How to process incoming messages in Microsoft Outlook (Outlookcode.com)
- How to create a script for the Rules Wizard in Outlook (MSKB)
- Retrieving Internet Headers Using VBA in Outlook 2007/2010
Hi,
Thank you for the article.
Hi,
I have tried with the options as suggested, but while i tried to set the rules in the action pane the rule "Run a Script", I cant able to find my macro name while i clicked on the script underlined one. Could you pls suggest me why can't able to find the macro name. Please?
Thanks,
Yuvaraj
What is the macro name? It needs to be formatted like this
Public Sub ShowMessage(Item As Outlook.MailItem)
Is the macro in thisoutlooksession or a module? It should be visible in either, but sometimes won't work in thisoutlooksession.
I have set up a forward script on a co-workers computer, it worked for about 4 days and then it quit working. when I investigated the script was gone. the next week it did the same thing. I have the exact same script and rule set up on my computer and have never had this issue.
Hello,
The article was really impressive.
I followed the steps for running a batch file. However, when I was testing that by sending a mail from myself to me to check if the batch file gets triggered, I see that the batch file is not triggered.
I am not sure why it is not triggering the batch file.
Could you please help.
Thanks.
What batch file are you running? (There isn't one on this page.)
BTW, if the rule isn't running, you may need to use an ItemAdd macro that watches the folder for new items.
I'm new in VBA, I have some folder in my outlook and I need move the incoming message to the related folder, the related folder can search by a key in the subject of the new email and I don't have any idea to how I can search by a key and retrieve related folder. I develop a script for outlook as below for getting the key in subject of new message Sub CustomMailMessageRule(Item As Outlook.MailItem) Dim strTicket, strSubject As String Dim strFolder As String strTicket = "None" strSubject = Item.Subject If InStr(1, strSubject, "#-") > 0 Then strSubject = Mid(strSubject, InStr(strSubject, "#-") + 2) If InStr(strSubject, " ") > 0 Then strTicket = Left(strSubject, InStr(strSubject, " ") - 1) End If End If and the unknown part is below part which I need to search whole my folders by related key and retrieve the related folder strFolder = "???" and finally, move the incoming message to the related folder by below code If InStr(strFolder) > 0 Then Item.Move Session.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox).folders(strFolder) MsgBox "Your New Message has been moved to related folder " End Sub I'm really appreciated if someone can help me and let me know how can I do that… Read more »
you need to use an array - see https://www.slipstick.com/developer/using-arrays-outlook-macros/ for an example
Hi Diane,
I do not have the option to run a script when I go to create new rule. Is there a way to activate this?
Yes, you need to set a registry key - it was removed from outlook 2013 and 2016 in in the June security update.
See https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/rules/outlook-2016-run-a-script-rules/ for the key and a ready to use reg file.
Good morning Diane, Great tutorials and code examples for exploring Outlook VBA possibilities. My issue stems from the removal of Run a Script, in that my organization has vetoed my request (and that of others) to have the Registry change implemented as an exception. They have left the Macros run through Run a Script as too dangerous, and referred me to NewMailItems as an alternative. However, I have found that it is not as effective. My issue is that I am unable to pull in those that populate my inbox when I am logged off of my machine (overnights, weekends, etc.). There are often hundreds of reports in my inbox for post processing (appending to spreadsheets, saving into shared folders, etc.) after a weekend. They run fine when I am logged in, and when I was not, the Run a Script function used to capture all of as soon as I logged in, but now they are all unprocessed. I can forward them to myself, and they get captured that way, but there must be automated method to do this. What would be your recommendation to process these files already in the inbox, as a rule would have? Is there… Read more »
I use itemadd - that will pick up new items as they are added to the folder. See https://www.slipstick.com/developer/itemadd-macro/ for more information.
Hello Diane,
I'm here to bother you on this page because it's the "next step" and I'm having a bit of trouble.
When I have finished with a test script, and go through the steps above to create a rule to run it, no scripts show up in the list.
What must I do "up front" after the script is tested so that it will show up in that list?
Thanks again for your assistance.
What did you name the script? The name line should be in this format:
Public Sub YourScriptName(Item As Outlook.MailItem)
if you don't have the Item As Outlook.MailItem in the (), it won't be seen by the rule.
if you mean, you can't see the rule action for run a script, see https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/rules/outlook-2016-run-a-script-rules/ - both 2013 and 2016 had run a script disabled by a recent security patch.
Diane,
Thanks again. I had failed to declare the parameter and, without it, that script will not appear in the list of scripts since *something* has to be passed to a script invoked by a rule. Or at least it looks that way because it showed up without issue once I'd corrected that oversight.
I have Outlook 2010, but the person I'm assisting has Outlook 2016, and I had already noticed your warning at the top of this page and on at least one other page at slipstick.
Brian