Merge Emails with attachments with inbox rule to forward

[Shawn Zeng]

Hi

Please help. I have a requirement to create an inbox rule that will merge two emails each with attachment into one email with the attachments from both mail and with dynamic date subject line. See below

1. Received daily at 8 am email subject A with PDF attachment
2. Recieved daily at 8 am email subject B with Excel attachment

Desired outcome

Consolidate both attachments into one mail and forward out, for example
To: Dis
Subject: Consolidated A & B
Attachment: Both PDF and Excel
Body: Consolidated reports


Please let me know if there is a way to accomplish this, thanks in advance!

 

[Diane Poremsky]

A run a script rules should be able to do it - i would use a script to save the attachments to a folder then a second script to create the consolidated email message. I have links to sample scripts at the bottom of this page - Outlook's Rules and Alerts: Run a Script

I'd tweak this to apply only to the two messages -http://www.slipstick.com/developer/save-attachments-to-the-hard-drive/ (run a script is at the bottom) - this would be the easy part. I tend to prefer itemadd macros but using a rule allows you to set conditions so it doesn't run on other messages. If the attachment names are always the same or use a specific format, we can check for the name - then it won't matter if itemadd gets other attachments.

The hard part is making sure both attachments arrive before creating the consolidated message. Hmmm. Have the same macro set a variable on the first message and if it has a value, send the message. The variable would be wiped out when outlook restarts, but as long as both arrive at about the same time, that shouldn't be a problem.

(changed the save attachments link to a better one )

 

[Diane Poremsky]

PS... this page has a snippet that saves by file type - you'd want to do that, maybe extending it to the full filename. Save Attachments to the Hard Drive

 

[Diane Poremsky]

this might have some bugs in it because i didn't have time to test it - but you can see if it works to save the attachments. after the second one is saved, a message box will come up (so you can test it on any pdf or xlsx file)- that would be replaced by the code to send them out.

Public Sub SaveAttachments(Item As Outlook.MailItem)

If Item.Attachments.Count > 0 Then
Dim objAttachments As Outlook.Attachments
Dim lngCount As Long
Dim strFile As String
Dim sFileType As String
Dim i As Long
dim strHaveOne as string

' Get the path to your My Documents folder
    strfolderpath = CreateObject("WScript.Shell").SpecialFolders(16)
    strfolderpath = strfolderpath & "\Attachments\"

Set objAttachments = Item.Attachments
    lngCount = objAttachments.Count
For i = lngCount To 1 Step -1
    
    ' Get the file name.
    strFile = objAttachments.Item(i).filename
    
' This code looks at the last 4 characters in a filename
      sFileType = LCase$(Right$(strFile, 4))
      Select Case sFileType
' Add additional file types below
       Case ".pdf", "xlsx"
   
      End Select

if sFileType = 1 then
strFile = objAttachments.Item(i).FileName

' Combine with the path to the folder.
strFile = strfolderpath & strFile

' Save the attachment as a file.
    objAttachments.Item(i).SaveAsFile strFile

end if   

    Next i

End If

if strHaveOne = "Recieved" then
'run the send macro
msgbox "have both attachments"
strHaveOne =""
else
strHaveOne = "Recieved"
end if

End Sub

 

[Shawn Zeng]

Thank you so much! Btw is there a function for redirect? I just posted another question on the fourm, see below link. Again thanks!

Rules to auto redirect

 

[Diane Poremsky]

Redirect is only available for Exchange accounts. i don't think its available in rules - but as long as you have send as permission on the account, you can use vba to send as that address.