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A script to show the folder for any Entourage message Apps
If you use Mail, then you have the privilege of knowing what folder each open email comes from (when opened in a new window via a double-click), because the mailbox name is written across the title bar of every open message. This allows you to perform the proper action on each email, such as close, move, save, etc., without having to go back to the browser window.

In Entourage, when you open up an email message, you do not know which folder the email message is coming from, since it is not written across the title bar. If you have several email messages open from several different folders, it becomes difficult to know what action to perform on any given email. You have to go back to the browser window and try to figure it out. I have actually moved emails to the wrong folder, and deleted emails unknowingly, because of not being able to quickly locate the folder of an email.

To solve this problem, I have created a simple AppleScript that will quickly show the folder of the open message in Entourage for just under a couple of seconds. After you know which folder the email belongs too, you can perform the proper action on the email with confidence.
tell application "Microsoft Entourage"
  activate
  set myfoldername to name of storage of displayed message ¬
   of front window
  display dialog "the message is in folder" & " " & ¬
   myfoldername giving up after 1.5
end tell
Save the above as a script in the ~/Documents -> Microsoft User Data -> Entourage Script Menu Items folder. You can put \cW at the end of the filename to activate the script via Control-W in any Entourage window.
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A script to show the folder for any Entourage message | 7 comments | Create New Account
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A script to show the folder for any Entourage message
Authored by: scotty321 on Aug 17, '05 11:56:55AM

You don't have to go through all of this to see what folder a message is in. If you're looking at an open Entourage message, just click on the "Move" button on the toolbar, and the very first folder listed is the folder that the message lives in. It's that simple!



[ Reply to This | # ]
A script to show the folder for any Entourage message
Authored by: roncross@cox.net on Aug 17, '05 01:23:21PM

Go through all of what! If you do it your way, you have to hit one more button. I am too lazy for that.

Actually, I just tried your suggestion. I picked two emails from the Inbox and one email from the delete folder. When I click on move, all of the top level folders are Inbox no matter where they are saved so your suggestion doesn't work for me.

You should really be more careful about your comments before criticizing others for trying to do something positive.

thx
RLC

---
rlc



[ Reply to This | # ]
A script to show the folder for any Entourage message
Authored by: Ockham on Aug 17, '05 11:15:31PM

Scotty is right. I use this one-step process on a regular basis when trying to hunt down folder paths for similar emails. I'm not entirely sure what you are doing but it's one button click (move) and there's the path. I can only speculate as to why you are not seeing different folder paths for different open messages.



[ Reply to This | # ]
maybe its the version
Authored by: roncross@cox.net on Aug 18, '05 07:17:04PM

I am using version 11.1.0, entourage 2004. I wonder if my move button is responding differently because I am on an exchange server. Are any of you on an exchange server?

At any rate, move doesn't work for me and it may not work for others as well. This is just a script to show you the folder of an email message in case clicking the MOVE button doesn't work for you.

Even if MOVE did work for me, I still prefer the script since I only have to hit a hotkey. With MOVE, you still have to hit the cancel button.

thx
RLC

---
rlc



[ Reply to This | # ]
Ok, I stand corrected.
Authored by: roncross@cox.net on Aug 18, '05 07:28:50PM

I do see what you are talking about. You have to click on the triangle pointing down next to move. Once you have identified the folder, you can just move the mouse off the window and it will go away.

thanks for the tip. Now you have the option of clicking or hotkey. I will use both

RLC

---
rlc



[ Reply to This | # ]
A script to show the folder for any Entourage message
Authored by: bobkatz on Sep 09, '05 10:07:15AM

The "move" trick doesn't work for me. The first folder always defaults to Inbox. I agree that this is a big weakness of Entourage. This is not its only weakness, and I will not diverge from the subject, but I coudl go on and on.



[ Reply to This | # ]
A script to show the folder for any Entourage message
Authored by: roncross@cox.net on Aug 17, '05 01:33:56PM

I updated the script to throw an error if the message is being composed are if you are replying to a message.

tell application "Microsoft Entourage"
activate
try
set myfoldername to name of storage of displayed message of front window
display dialog "the message is in folder" & " " & "'" & myfoldername & "'" giving up after 1.5
on error number error_number
if the error_number is -128 then error number -128
display dialog "This message is not contained in a folder"
end try
end tell

---
rlc



[ Reply to This | # ]