[SOLVED] Auto remove [EXTERNAL] from subject

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pacnwtexan

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Outlook version
Outlook 2016 64 bit
Email Account
Office 365 Exchange
Recently, my main customer has added a server based [EXTERNAL] flag to their (our) emails. This obvously happens on the customer side when responding but is creating a nightmare for grouping and searching on our side.

I am looking for a way to edit [EXTERNAL] out of the subject line upon receipt? I have seen mentions of VB or C script options but this is too far advanced.

Is there a way to do this via rules?

Is there a custom rwz site that people can recommend?

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No, you can't do it using rules. You need to use a macro, which only works in Outlook desktop.

So I'm not on 365 so I imagine desktop. So create a macro to open and auto tab (?) To the subject and search and replace?
 
If you are using Outlook 2013, its the desktop software and a macro will work.

I swear I had a macro that removed the keywords (your aren't the first to complain about it). I can put one together - do you want to remove it on all incoming messages or only when you reply?
 
If you are using Outlook 2013, its the desktop software and a macro will work.

I swear I had a macro that removed the keywords (your aren't the first to complain about it). I can put one together - do you want to remove it on all incoming messages or only when you reply?

I would like to remove specifically [EXTERNAL] from the subject line as emails arrive.
 
is it do able, i need to remove the tag [EXTERNAL] from the subject line or remove prefix and add to suffix instead.
cos the sorting email have been pain now.
 
Yes, sorting and the history lookup is completely out of whack since our main client began adding EXTERNAL to the subject. Someone, anyone?

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
 
Recently, my main customer has added a server based [EXTERNAL] flag to their (our) emails. This obvously happens on the customer side when responding but is creating a nightmare for grouping and searching on our side.

I am looking for a way to strip [EXTERNAL] out of the subject line upon receipt? I have seen mentions of VB or C script options but this is too far advanced.

Is there a way to do this via rules?

Is there a custom rwzRulessite that people can recommend?

Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk
 
Rules will not work - you need to use a macro.

This macro can do run on all messages in the folder -

Remove: lString = InputBox("Characters to be deleted from the LEFT. Include brackets and spaces!")

Update this block - it will only update if there is a match but the if/end if could be removed.
iItemsUpdated = 0
For Each aItem In mail.Items
if left(aitem.subject,11) ="[EXTERNAL] " then
aItem.Subject = Replace(aitem.subject,"EXTERNAL] ", "")
iItemsUpdated = iItemsUpdated + 1
End if
aItem.Save
Next aItem


I did not test it, so its possible i messed up. Hope not. :) if there is more than one space (or no space) following [external], that can be adjusted - and if some use upper and some use mixed case, we can fix that using lcase. I'll post a working macro (but i'm sure i have one that already does that. Just gotta find it. :( )
 
Will this work if there is only sometimes an [External] flag? Don't want to strip content from the subject itself... if that then this
 
Yes, it will. Assuming I did not make a mistake in the code, it will check to see if the subject has [external] at the beginning and if so, removes just external - by replacing it with nothing. If someone emails you with a subject of 'how do i remove [external]' it will not remove it, unless they are external and the subject is '[external] how do i remove [external] ' <== space after [external], which matches the pattern in replace. In this case, it would remove both.
 
Rules will not work - you need to use a macro.

This macro can do run on all messages in the folder -

Remove: lString = InputBox("Characters to be deleted from the LEFT. Include brackets and spaces!")

Update this block - it will only update if there is a match but the if/end if could be removed.
iItemsUpdated = 0
For Each aItem In mail.Items
if left(aitem.subject,11) ="[EXTERNAL] " then
aItem.Subject = Replace(aitem.subject,"EXTERNAL] ", "")
iItemsUpdated = iItemsUpdated + 1
End if
aItem.Save
Next aItem


I did not test it, so its possible i messed up. Hope not. :) if there is more than one space (or no space) following [external], that can be adjusted - and if some use upper and some use mixed case, we can fix that using lcase. I'll post a working macro (but i'm sure i have one that already does that. Just gotta find it. :( )

Diane--
Your instructions, here, are perfect. I created a macro that stripped [EXTERNAL] from the subject line. However, is it truly removed or just hidden? I use Exquilla and Davmail to connect to Exchange and the prepended [EXTERNAL] warning is still visible; in the same email in which it is not visible in Outlook. Thunderbird shows the source code of the email-- [EXTERNAL] is not in the message source binary. What am I missing about this prepended warning?
 
It is removed from the subject field but is still in the internet headers.

If you use conversation view, the original version is the conversation group header.
 
It is removed from the subject field but is still in the internet headers.

If you use conversation view, the original version is the conversation group header.

Thank you for the update.
I'm guessing that there is no way to remove the [EXTERNAL] warning completely (subject field and internet headers--conversation header) so that Thunderbird does not see it all. Or is there a way to do this?
 
No, you can't rewrite the header by the time its in outlook. You can do it at the server level, if you use exchange. And the admin agrees.

Conversation can be changed by redemption, I think, but only in outlook's property, not in the header.
 
1614258146770.png



Hi, your macro works when I open the email, but it does not work for me on the emails list and the main reason I want to remove it is so the conversation look, works seamlessly.....

also is there a way for the macro to run in the background every certain period without notifing me the changes were made?

Regards
 
Remove this if you don't want the count:
MsgBox iItemsUpdated & " of " & mail.Items.Count & " Messages Updated"

Outlook doesn't have a timer function but you can use reminders to trigger a macro -

The difference in this screenshot - is Conversation view - the message list pulls the subject from the thread topic - you only changed the subject. I will double check to see if the topic is editable.

2021-02-25_8-47-41.png


This is from the header of a message in my inbox - in my case, external was the #3 message in the thread. The thread groups properly even with the External tag - because outlook uses other properties for grouping. (Everyone in the thread uses office 365 but are in different organizations - this helps with threading.)
Subject: RE: [EXTERNAL] RE: the subject
Thread-Topic: [EXTERNAL] RE: the subject

Editing the subject does not remove External from those lines in the header but it broke the threading and the one I removed External from does not group with the others in the thread.
 
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