The problem is that everyone calls it an unread message alert - it's a new
mail alert and is only there when you have new mail. If you have older
unread mail, it will not show. As soon as you read 1 message (even if you
have 50 new ones), it disappears because you should know there is new mail
in your inbox. When you close outlook the icon disappears because outlook is
closed and when you restart, for at least a few seconds, there isn't any
*new* mail - so no icon.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Need Help with Common Tasks? http://www.outlook-tips.net/beginner/
Outlook 2007: http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/ol2007/

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** Please include your Outlook version, Account type, and Windows Version
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"fpbear" wrote in message
...
"Brian Tillman" wrote in message

It is certainly not the expected behavior (to me, expected behavior is
as-implemented behavior) and I'm not convinced it's correct, either. It
remains, however, that the two processes are disconnected.

Here is something you should try, that may help to convince you that this
is indeed a bug and not expected behavior. Reproduce the orphaned tray
icon using the "mark as read" rule, and then close Outlook and start
Outlook again. Notice that the tray icon has now disappeared. Therefore
the tray icon is not sticking around because of a sensible usability
reason, but rather because of a missing software call. By restarting
Outlook the program initialization routine finally makes the proper
software call.

If still not convinced, go to the message that the rule "marked as read"
and then manually right click and "mark as unread." Now the task tray
icon disappears! Very strange!

This evidence should override all these other discussions we've been
having. If it acts so strange in this manner, it should be clear it's a
bug and I have a really hard time to believe that it's a feature, and it
reminds me of those silly cartoons where programmers like to claim that a
bug is a feature.

Um, and who gets to make the determination "there are no more
messages to read"? Certainly not you in a corporate environment
where you are still required to read all the company's or
department's mail regardless of how you chose to personally manage
their appearance in your e-mail client. Outlook is a *corporate*
e-mail client. It is not designed for personal use. Even if you had
the option to turn off the tray icon (and the bubble notice that
works with it) using a rule, that doesn't obviate your responsibility
to read those company e-mails.

Outlook is not designed for use as a personal e-mail client. It is
designed as an enterprise solution along with Exchange (and
optionally RM) as a corporate e-mail client. To be honest, you (and
I) are using an oversized program to do personal e-mail that is not
designed for personal use.

Then if this is true about being "required to read every message" then
Microsoft should rename the "mark as read" rule and call it "undo bold
text." Oulook should not try to pretend it has a "mark as read" rule
when it really doesn't have one. Some manager/programmer came up with
a fake rule in that case.

Strictly speaking, isn't the envelope icon indicative of 'new, unopened items'?
Just because a rule marks a message as read, it doesn't change the fact
that the message is new and unopened.

--
-f.h.

"Diane Poremsky {MVP}" wrote in message
...
The problem is that everyone calls it an unread message alert - it's a new
mail alert and is only there when you have new mail. If you have older
unread mail, it will not show. As soon as you read 1 message (even if you
have 50 new ones), it disappears because you should know there is new mail
in your inbox. When you close outlook the icon disappears because outlook
is closed and when you restart, for at least a few seconds, there isn't
any *new* mail - so no icon.

I see, now that makes sense. I think this confusion arises because the tray
icon uses the marked as read mechanism to make the flag disappear, at least
for the first message.

I still can't figure out why the "mark as read" rule does not cause the same
effects on the tray icon envelope as when a human does it.

Outlook should have another rule called "mark as read while simulating a
human" that produces the correct behavior.

fpbear wrote:

I still can't figure out why the "mark as read" rule does not cause
the same effects on the tray icon envelope as when a human does it.

Because, as Mr. Muffman said, "mark as read" doesn't mean "opened".

Outlook should have another rule called "mark as read while
simulating a human" that produces the correct behavior.

Now you're being silly.
--
Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]

Well, this has been lively.

If you want to get the functionality for which you are looking, you'll
have to do it in Outlook VBA, with calls to WIN32 APIs. See:
http://www.outlookcode.com/d/code/clearenvicon.htm

or for a very low cost, buy an add-in - http://www.techhit.com/autoread/

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]
Author, Teach Yourself Outlook 2003 in 24 Hours
Need Help with Common Tasks? http://www.outlook-tips.net/beginner/
Outlook 2007: http://www.slipstick.com/outlook/ol2007/

Outlook Tips by email:


Outlook Tips: http://www.outlook-tips.net/
Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com
Subscribe to Exchange Messaging Outlook newsletter:


** Please include your Outlook version, Account type, and Windows Version
when requesting assistance **


"AliasJ" wrote in message
...
Well, this has been lively.

If you want to get the functionality for which you are looking, you'll
have to do it in Outlook VBA, with calls to WIN32 APIs. See:
http://www.outlookcode.com/d/code/clearenvicon.htm

"Brian Tillman" wrote in message
Because, as Mr. Muffman said, "mark as read" doesn't mean "opened".

Then if we choose to play with words Microsoft needs to create another rule
called "mark as opened."

This is a problem for the ordinary corporate user. Search the web and
you'll find thousands of complaints on this.

Because, as Mr. Muffman said, "mark as read" doesn't mean "opened".

Then if we choose to play with words Microsoft needs to create another
rule called "mark as opened."

I wasn't trying to play with words. I was simply using the words that are
there. You want the words to mean something they don't, not me.

This is a problem for the ordinary corporate user. Search the web and
you'll find thousands of complaints on this.

a) Then train your corporate users.
b) And I see millions of Outlook users who aren't complaining, notable by
the lack of complaints.

I'm just thinking that this is something you need to accept and move on.
If you want Microsoft to fix it, call the support line, say what's broken
and ask them to open a bug. If they won't, ask for a supervisor. Keep asking
for one until they open a bug and give you a bug number.

Take that however you want.
--
-f.h.

"F.H. Muffman" wrote in message
.com...

a) Then train your corporate users.
.....

"Corporate Training Manual for Outlook Section 44.2"

"When you mark mail read by clicking on it, your new mail notification will
disappear from the task tray."

"When you mark mail read using a rule, the new mail notification will not
disappear."

"If you right-click on the message that is marked read via the rule, and
then you manually mark it un-read, the tray notification will disappear."

"This is by design, because when you mark mail read using a rule, Outlook
knows you didn't really mean to do that. Whereas if you mark it read by
clicking on it, then you must have done it on purpose. This is Outlook's
way of protecting you."

"There is another new protection feature from our IT department: when you
configure an automatic Out of Office notification, it won't be sent when
you're away from your desk. This is because you are not really out of the
office unless you turn off the computer. When you physically press the
power button, the notification will be sent."

I had this same problem, but I found a solution to the bug. I get three or four emails a day from various administrators notifying me of updated/new/deleted procedures. I don't need to read them so I had Outlook mark them as read and move them to another folder. When Outlook moves unread, unopened email to another folder the tray icon does not appear, but since Outlook was first marking them as read and then moving them to a new folder the tray icon would remain, even if I later opened that folder and read the newly received email.

Solution: I made two separate rules- the first moves the mail to a new folder and the second marks it as read. This circumvents the bug (which is a bug, obviously) and allows me to focus on the emails that I actually need to read.