OutlookCaseHelper/README.md

# 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#<number>`, it is automatically moved to the corresponding folder under:

```
Inbox > Cases > Active > <folder name>
```

When a case is closed, the folder is moved to:

```
Inbox > Cases > Closed > <folder name>
```

---

## 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#<number>
```

Examples:
- `Case update - TrackingID#1234567890`
- `Re: Support ticket TrackingID#9876543210123456`

The number can be any length. Everything before and after `TrackingID#<number>` is ignored.

---

## Rules File

Rules are stored at:
```
C:\Users\<username>\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\<username>\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**.