OutlookCaseHelper/README.md

Outlook Case Helper

A Windows system tray application that automatically organizes Outlook emails by TrackingID into folders.

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Requirements

• Windows 10/11
• Microsoft Outlook (classic) installed and configured
• .NET 8.0 Runtime

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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)

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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>

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Features

Create Rule (Selected Email)

Right-click the tray icon → 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
• 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.

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Create Rule (Manual ID)

Right-click the tray icon → Create Rule (Manual ID)

• Manually type a TrackingID number
• Optionally add a name to the folder
• Searches and moves all matching emails from Inbox and Sent

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Remove Rule (Selected Email)

Right-click the tray icon → 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

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Remove Rule (Manual ID)

Right-click the tray icon → Remove Rule (Manual ID)

• Manually type a TrackingID number to remove
• Same behavior as above

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Run All Rules Now

Right-click the tray icon → Run All Rules Now

• Scans all folders in the mailbox
• Moves any emails matching active rules to the correct folders
• Useful after the app was closed for a period

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Settings

Right-click the tray icon → Settings

Configure keyboard 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

Also available in Settings:

• View Rules File — opens active_rules.json in Notepad
• Reload Rules — reloads rules from file without restarting the app

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Start with Windows

Right-click the tray icon → Start with Windows

• Toggle whether the app starts automatically when Windows starts
• Checkmark indicates current state

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Folder Structure

Inbox
└── Cases
    ├── Active
    │   ├── 123456 | Client Name
    │   └── 789012
    └── Closed
        └── 654321 | Old Case

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Rules File

Rules are stored at:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\OutlookCaseHelper\active_rules.json

You can edit this file manually in Notepad (via Settings → View Rules File) and reload without restarting.

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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 TrackingID# is ignored.

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Limitations

• Classic Outlook only — does not work with New Outlook (web-based). New Outlook support via Microsoft Graph API is planned.
• 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 opened again.
• Subject matching only — rules are matched by subject line. Emails without TrackingID# in the subject are ignored.
• No undo — moving folders to Closed or Active cannot be undone through the app. Use Outlook directly to move folders manually if needed.
• Manual file editing — if you edit active_rules.json manually, use Reload Rules in Settings or restart the app for changes to take effect.
• Case sensitivity — TrackingID# is case-sensitive. trackingid# or TRACKINGID# will not be matched.

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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.

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Uninstall

Go to Control Panel → Programs → Uninstall a program → select Outlook Case Helper → Uninstall.

Rules and settings stored in AppData are not removed automatically. Delete the folder manually if needed:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\OutlookCaseHelper\