Please fix "You replied ..." issue when replying to received messa

K

Karl Perry

In Outlook versions 2000-2007, when I start a reply to a message in Outlook,
as soon as the message is saved to Drafts the notice, "You replied on ..."
appears in the message I received. If I subsequently change my mind, or save
it in Drafts for a period of time, the "You replied ..." still stays as it
was when first saved. Thus, Outlook is inaccurately saying that I replied
when in fact I did not.

I read an MVP's reply from July 2005 saying this is not a bug. I don't
understand how a software application saving and stating inaccurate
information can be considered as "not a bug." I don't agree with that
assessment (and I know that the MVP is not stating the opinion of Microsoft).

I would like to see a change in Outlook so that "You replied ..." does not
appear in the received message until my message leaves my Outbox.

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...606f57b6c&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.general
 
V

VanguardLH

Karl said:
In Outlook versions 2000-2007, when I start a reply to a message in Outlook,
as soon as the message is saved to Drafts the notice, "You replied on ..."
appears in the message I received. If I subsequently change my mind, or save
it in Drafts for a period of time, the "You replied ..." still stays as it
was when first saved. Thus, Outlook is inaccurately saying that I replied
when in fact I did not.

I read an MVP's reply from July 2005 saying this is not a bug. I don't
understand how a software application saving and stating inaccurate
information can be considered as "not a bug." I don't agree with that
assessment (and I know that the MVP is not stating the opinion of Microsoft).

I would like to see a change in Outlook so that "You replied ..." does not
appear in the received message until my message leaves my Outbox.

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...606f57b6c&dg=microsoft.public.outlook.general

"You replied" simply means you created a reply, not what you did with it.
It obviously cannot guarantee that the recipient ever got that reply. You
wanted the status to say "You composed a new e-mail as a reply that you may
intend to send later" which then changes to "You composed a new e-mail as a
reply that this e-mail client received +OK status from the mail server to
acknowledge that it accepted your e-mail (but does not indicate the
recipient actually got your reply)"?

That the item is still in the Drafts or Outbox folder tells you that it has
NOT yet been sent (or, to be factual, accepted by whatever mail server you
used at the time for that message). So just what is YOUR suggestion as to
the status of a new e-mail that you have composed, that you may still be
updating and will send later, that is a reply but is still a separate new
e-mail, and that you might send later but you might later choose not to send
or you might try to send but can't send because, say, there is no such
username [anymore] at the target domain?

"You replied" only tracks that you wrote something. It shows your intent,
not your result which may change depending on your choices later or sucess
or failure with the actual send operation. Even if the mail server you use
now refuses to accept your outbound e-mail, that doesn't mean the reply that
you composed and is still sitting in the e-mail client could not be sent
later using a different mail server. I suppose it could say "You composed"
but then that doesn't specifically address a new e-mail created as a reply
to another e-mail. "You composed a candidate reply" might be more accurate
in that you haven't tried to send the e-mail and that it might not be the
reply that you actually send to the sender of the original e-mail since you
could delete that one and create another reply e-mail. Just how long do you
want the status string to be?

Where did "reply" ever indicate a SEND operation ever occurred, that it was
successful, or that the recipient ever got it? It just means you wrote
something. It does not say "You sent a reply" and even that status wouldn't
indicate if the send operation was successful. The "sent" status is
indicated by which folder you find your composed message. In the Drafts
folder, that status means you *might* send that reply (but you could delete
it and send a different one or none at all). In the Outbox folder, that
means you are trying to send the reply e-mail but haven't done so yet. In
the Sent Items folder means your e-mail client gave the reply e-mail to
whatever mail server was used at that time and the mail server accepted it.
And it showing up in the Deleted Items folder means you still composed the
reply but chose not to send that one. Yes, you composed a reply (which may
be in the Drafts folder but only if you have done a Save on it versus the
temporary copy that may never show up as an item in any folder) but as to
what you did with it is still unknown.
 
D

Diane Poremsky [MVP]

It's not going to be changed - its added as soon as a draft is saved.
Otherwise, if you save a draft then finish it later, the original message
won't be updated with the replied information.

You can reduce the time it takes to add that information by changing the
autosave time in Tools, options.

--
Diane Poremsky [MVP - Outlook]

Outlook & Exchange Solutions Center: http://www.slipstick.com/

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http://forums.slipstick.com/showthread.php?t=39473
 

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