ITS Tech Tips: GroupWise Tips

Rule-based Archiving

The following are a couple of different ways to use rules to help you clean out your e-mail. You can use:

1. The Folder Rule or
2. The Category Rule

This assumes you already have your archives set up. For information on setting up your archives, please visit the GroupWise Help Pages or contact the CSS Help Desk at x2001.

Folder Rule

This rule is quick and easy to set up. If you don't mind having all of your e-mails archived in one folder, then this is the rule for you. All you need to do is create a folder in your Cabinet then drag and drop any e-mails you want archived into that folder.

The first step is to create the folder.

• Click on the Cabinet icon in the left pane of the GroupWise window to select it.
• Click on File, New, Folder...

• Leave the Personal folder radio button selected and click Next.
• Type in a name for your folder such as Send To Archive.
• Position the folder where you want it in your Cabinet then click Next.
• It is not necessary to adjust any of the display settings so just click Finish in the last window.

Now that your folder is set up, you can create the rule to automatically archive items put in that folder.

To create the rule,

• Click on Tools, Rules, then click on the New button.
• Give your rule a name in the first field such as Send to Archive.
• In the When event is section, click on the button that says New Item (by default) and select Close Folder (other options are available).

If you picked the Close Folder option, a box will appear for the path to the folder. You can use the browse button at the end to point and click on the folder you made in the steps above.

• Leave the If conditions are section set to Act on all items.
• Under the Then actions are section, click on the Add Action button and select Archive from the list.

A sample screen would look like the following:

• Click on the Save button.
• Make sure your rule is enabled (has a check mark next to it), then close the Rules dialog box.

Your archiving rule is all set up!

Now all you need to do is drag and drop e-mails you want to archive into that Send to Archive folder you created. Using the Close Folder option for your event trigger allows you to open the folder first to verify the e-mails you want sent to your archives. Every time you navigate away from the folder (i.e. go to your Mailbox or another folder), all of the e-mails in the folder will be archived.

Category Rule

So what if you have folders set up in your Cabinet and you'd like your archives to have the same folders? Instead of moving all e-mail into one folder in your archives, you can set up a rule to archive based on a Category.

Categories are a new feature in GroupWise 6.5. They allow you to color-code items in GroupWise. Check out information on categories under the GroupWise Tech Tips.

The first step is to create the category you'll be using.

• Click Actions, Categories, and then the More... option. (If it's grayed out, click on an e-mail first as you need to have an item selected before creating a Category).

• At the bottom of the window, type in a name for your category.
• Click on the Add button.

By default, new categories are in black. You'll want to change the color so you can tell the difference between your regular e-mail and stuff you want to archive.

• Select the category first, then click on the Edit Color button.

A Color window appears.

• Pick the color you'd like for your Archive Category, then click OK.
• Click OK again to close the Categories dialog box.

Note: Whatever item you had selected will now be categorized in the Archive Category. You can change it by right-clicking on the item, going to Categories on the short-cut menu and unchecking your Archive Category with a click.

Now that your Archive Category is set up, the next step is to create the rule to look for items marked with that category and archive them.

To create the rule,

• Click on Tools, Rules, and the New button.
• Give your rule a name such as Archive Category.

In the When event is section,

• Choose an event trigger such as Exit and make sure the items Mail and Sent are selected.
• Click on the Define Conditions button.

• Click on the drop-down arrow in the first field and select Category (you may have to go under the All fields... option at the bottom first).
• Pick your Archive Category that you created earlier in the next blank field (hint: use the browse button at the end of the field).
• Click OK to close the Define Conditions window.

In the Then actions are section,

• Click on the Add Action button and choose Archive from the list.
• Save your rule.
• Make sure your rule is enabled (has a check mark next to it) and close the Rules dialog box.

Now all you need to do is go through your mailbox and cabinet folders to mark whatever you want archived with your Archive Category. If an item is located in a folder in your cabinet that you want to archive, leave it in that folder, just mark it with the Archive Category. When the item is archived, it will appear in the archives under the same folder (which GroupWise will create if it's not already there).

Page last updated 08/14/06. Send questions or comments to ITS Training.