Outlook Search folder -- How to filter messages that have one category but don't have another?

Question

I'm coming from a Google Apps setup at my old company to Outlook 2007 at my new company, and I'm trying to make it feel "more like home."

I plan to use Search Folders to handle my Status labels, but the kicker is that I also have a "Finished" category. So, if a message has the category "Next Action" but also has the Category "Finished", I would like it not to show up in the search folder.

Taking the Next Action category as an example, I set up a search folder with the following criteria:

• Category --> is exactly "S/Next Action"
• Category --> Doesn't Contain "Finished"

However, this filter seems to be an "or" filter, not an "and" filter. So, I am getting all messages with Next Action, but also all messages that don't have the "finished" category.

What's the best way to remedy this situation?

Answer 1

After some time, it appears I've found a solution for my specific situation for now.

The Simple Solution

Query wise, I know I can perform this search using:

category:("S/Next Action" NOT "S/Finished")

But in my case, the solution was a little bit simpler:

• Create a new Search Folder
• Under Criteria, in the "More Choices" tab, select "S/Next Action" from the categories list
• In the "Advanced" tab, Select "Categories" for the field
• Set the criteria to "Doesn't Contain"
• Set the value to "S/Finished"

This solution works, but of course it would run into difficulty should the query ever need to grow more complex.

The More Powerful Solution

Thanks to this awesome article, I was able to figure it out. Below are the steps from the article:

Enabling QueryBuilder in Outlook 2007 via a Registry Hack

• Run regedit in your run command or via Win + R
• Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\
  • If you have Outlook 2007 navigate to 12.0 folder
• Right click on Outlook and Add a new key. Name it as QueryBuilder
• Exit Registry editor.

Creating the Advanced Query

1. In Outlook, select the "Tools" menu --> "Instant Search" --> "Advanced Find"
2. Click the "Query Builder" tab (which did not exist before our registry hack)
3. Define the first criteria
   • Field: "Categories"
   • Condition: "contains"
   • Value: "S/Next Action"
4. Define the second criteria
   • Field: "Categories"
   • Condition: "Doesn't Contain"
   • Value: "S/Finished"
5. Select the logical group
   • From the "Logical Group" drop-down, select "AND". This is key to making sure that Outlook enforces all the criteria (which is not normally the case; hence this post)
6. Set the Scope to of the Search to the Desired Level
   • In the "Look for:" drop-down, select "Messages" (likely already selected)
   • Click "Browse"
   • Make sure all appropriate folders are selected (I chose the entire mailbox)
   • Check the "Search Subfolders" checkbox

Saving the Query as a Search Folder

• In the Advanced Find window, click "File"
• Click "Save as Search Folder" and name the Search Folder.

Success!

So, there we have it! Problem solved.