Rules-processing order inmportant?

[Guest]

I have a user that has several rules running (Outlook 2003 - live connected
to Exchange Server03)
Many of the rules are similar to these (checking the Subject line upon
delivery...only one account...):
FY2004 - move to folder FY2004
FY2004 Set1 - move to folder FY2004 Set1
FY2005 etc
FY2005 Set1 etc
FY2005 Set2 etc
etc...
Also I should note that the rules have 4 options each (set up as ors) that
say 'FY2004' or "FY 2004' or "fy2004' or 'fy 2004' to ensure most spelling
variations that people may use in the subject line.
Am I correct in thinking that if set up in the order as listed above, that
if you ran the rule listed first that by the time the second rule was run,
that nothing would be there to move into the set1 folder? I guess my question
is : Are the rules doing an exclusive search for what is in the (single)
quotes or finding that part of the string and then moving, regardless of what
comes after it?

 

[Brian Tillman]

I have a user that has several rules running (Outlook 2003 - live
connected to Exchange Server03)
Many of the rules are similar to these (checking the Subject line upon
delivery...only one account...):
FY2004 - move to folder FY2004
FY2004 Set1 - move to folder FY2004 Set1
FY2005 etc
FY2005 Set1 etc
FY2005 Set2 etc
etc...
Also I should note that the rules have 4 options each (set up as ors)
that say 'FY2004' or "FY 2004' or "fy2004' or 'fy 2004' to ensure
most spelling variations that people may use in the subject line.

Not necessary to distinguish case because the string compare is
case-insensitive. "FY" and "fy" are exactly the same string to the
comparitor in the rule engine.

Am I correct in thinking that if set up in the order as listed above,
that if you ran the rule listed first that by the time the second
rule was run, that nothing would be there to move into the set1
folder?

No, unless you have included the "stop processing more rules" action on the
first rule. Without that action, anything with "FY2004 Set1" in its subject
will be matched by both rule 1 and rule 2 and both of those rules' actions
will be applied. So, you'd have a copy in the "FY2004" folder and in the
"FY2004 Set1" folder, as well as in the Inbox.

I guess my question is : Are the rules doing an exclusive
search for what is in the (single) quotes or finding that part of the
string and then moving, regardless of what comes after it?

Every incoming message is compared against every rules and all rules whose
conditions match have their actions applied. So, I'd put them in the order

FY2004 Set1
FY2004 Set2
etc.
FY2005 Set1
FY2005 Set2
etc.
FY2005

and include the "stop processing more rules" action on each.