# Outlook Case Manager A Windows system tray application that automatically organizes Outlook emails by TrackingID into folders. **Version:** 1.0.0 **Released:** March 2026 **Author:** Wellington Ribeiro — wribeiro@microsoft.com --- ## Requirements - Windows 10/11 - Microsoft Outlook (classic) installed and configured - .NET 8.0 Runtime --- ## Installation 1. Run `OutlookCaseHelperSetup.msi` 2. Follow the installation wizard 3. Launch the app from the Start Menu — **Outlook Case Helper** 4. The app runs in the system tray (bottom-right corner of the taskbar) --- ## How It Works The app monitors your Outlook Inbox and Sent folders in real time. When an email arrives or is sent with a subject containing `TrackingID#`, it is automatically moved to the corresponding folder under: ``` Inbox > Cases > Active > ``` When a case is closed, the folder is moved to: ``` Inbox > Cases > Closed > ``` --- ## Tray Menu Right-click the tray icon to access all features: | Menu Item | Description | |---|---| | Create Rule (Selected Email) | Creates a rule from the selected email in Outlook | | Create Rule (Manual ID) | Creates a rule by manually entering a TrackingID | | Remove Rule (Selected Email) | Removes the rule for the selected email's TrackingID | | Remove Rule (Manual ID) | Removes a rule by manually entering a TrackingID | | Run All Rules Now | Scans all mailbox folders and applies all active rules | | View Active Rules | Opens the dashboard to manage all active rules | | Settings | Configure keyboard shortcuts and rule file options | | Start with Windows | Toggle automatic startup with Windows | | About | App information, version and contact | | Exit | Closes the application | --- ## Features ### Create Rule (Selected Email) - Select an email in Outlook first - The app reads the `TrackingID#` from the subject automatically - Optionally add a name to the folder (e.g. `123456 | Client Name`) - All existing emails with that TrackingID are moved immediately from all folders - Future emails are moved automatically in real time > If the case already exists in **Closed**, it is moved back to **Active** automatically — no new folder is created. --- ### Create Rule (Manual ID) - Manually type a TrackingID number - Optionally add a name to the folder - Searches and moves all matching emails from all folders --- ### Remove Rule (Selected Email) - Select an email in Outlook first - The app reads the TrackingID and removes the active rule - The folder is moved from **Active** to **Closed** - Monitoring stops for that TrackingID - Confirmation popup before closing the case --- ### Remove Rule (Manual ID) - Manually type a TrackingID number to remove - Same behavior as above --- ### Run All Rules Now - Scans **all folders** in the mailbox recursively - Moves any emails matching active rules to the correct folders - Useful after the app was closed for a period or to do a full cleanup - Shows a tray notification when complete --- ### View Active Rules (Dashboard) Opens an interactive dashboard to manage all active rules. | Button | Description | |---|---| | Add Rule | Creates a new rule directly from the dashboard | | Rename | Renames the selected rule and its Outlook folder | | Close Case | Moves the selected folder to Closed (with confirmation) | | Reload Rules | Reloads rules from the JSON file without restarting | | Refresh | Updates the email count for all rules | | Close | Closes the dashboard | The dashboard shows for each rule: - **Folder Name** — full name including optional label - **TrackingID** — the numeric ID extracted from the folder name - **Emails** — current number of emails in the folder > Double-clicking a rule opens the Rename dialog directly. --- ### Settings Configure keyboard shortcuts and rule file options. | Section | Description | |---|---| | Create Rule shortcut | Keyboard shortcut to create a rule from selected email | | Remove Rule shortcut | Keyboard shortcut to remove a rule from selected email | | View Rules | Opens `active_rules.json` in Notepad | | Reload Rules | Reloads rules from file without restarting | Default shortcuts: | Action | Default Shortcut | |---|---| | Create Rule | Alt + 1 | | Remove Rule | Alt + 2 | Modifiers available: **Alt**, **Ctrl**, **Shift** Keys available: F1–F12, 0–9, A–Z --- ### Start with Windows - Toggles whether the app starts automatically when Windows starts - Checkmark indicates current state - Stored in the Windows Registry under `HKCU\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run` --- ### About Displays app information including version, release date, description, and contact details. --- ## Folder Structure ``` Inbox └── Cases ├── Active │ ├── 123456 | Client Name │ └── 789012 └── Closed └── 654321 | Old Case ``` --- ## Email Subject Format The app looks for emails with subjects containing: ``` TrackingID# ``` Examples: - `Case update - TrackingID#1234567890` - `Re: Support ticket TrackingID#9876543210123456` The number can be any length. Everything before and after `TrackingID#` is ignored. --- ## Rules File Rules are stored at: ``` C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\OutlookCaseHelper\active_rules.json ``` You can edit this file manually: 1. Open **Settings → View Rules** to open the file in Notepad 2. Edit the JSON array — each entry is a folder name string 3. Click **Settings → Reload Rules** to apply changes without restarting Example file: ```json ["123456 | Client Name", "789012", "654321 | Old Project"] ``` --- ## Keyboard Shortcuts Shortcuts work globally — even when Outlook is in focus. | Shortcut | Action | |---|---| | Alt + 1 (default) | Create Rule from selected email | | Alt + 2 (default) | Remove Rule from selected email | Shortcuts can be changed in **Settings**. --- ## Limitations - **Classic Outlook only** — does not work with New Outlook (web-based). New Outlook support via Microsoft Graph API is planned for a future version. - **Single mailbox** — monitors only the primary Outlook account. Shared mailboxes are not supported. - **Outlook must be open** — the app connects to a running Outlook instance. If Outlook is closed, rules are saved but monitoring pauses until Outlook is reopened. - **Subject matching only** — rules are matched by subject line. Emails without `TrackingID#` in the subject are ignored. - **Case sensitivity** — `TrackingID#` is case-sensitive. `trackingid#` or `TRACKINGID#` will not be matched. - **No undo** — moving folders to Closed or Active cannot be undone through the app. Use Outlook directly to move folders manually if needed. --- ## Uninstall Go to **Control Panel → Programs → Uninstall a program** → select **Outlook Case Manager** → Uninstall. Rules and settings stored in `AppData` are not removed automatically. Delete the folder manually if needed: ``` C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\OutlookCaseHelper\ ``` --- ## Contact **Wellington Ribeiro** wribeiro@microsoft.com For suggestions or bug reports, please send an email with the subject **Outlook Case Manager - Feedback**.