Outlook VBA - Save original message in the same folder as the reply

Dear Herwin,

Thank you also for your kind cooperation.

I see. In that case, you can use the PickFolder method (source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12688476/di...*) to display a dialog box that allows you to select an Outlook folder for your reply and original message. You can use this method in your Application.ItemSend event handler and assign the selected folder to item.SaveSentMessageFolder for your reply. For your original message, you can use item.Reply.Parent.Move method to move it to the same folder as your reply. You can find an example of this approach here: https://forums.slipstick.com/threads/97981-macr...*.

Alternatively, you can use a macro that runs after sending a message and prompts you to choose a folder for both the reply and the original message. You can find an example of this approach here: https://www.slipstick.com/outlook/email/choosin...*.

More about Macros:

A macro is a subroutine that performs a specific task or a series of tasks. You can write a macro by using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), which is a programming language that runs inside Outlook and other Office applications.

To write a macro for Outlook VBA, you need to follow these steps:

(https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/crea...)

1. On the Developer tab of the Microsoft Office Fluent ribbon, click Visual Basic. If you don’t see the Developer tab, you can enable it by going to File > Options > Customize Ribbon and checking the box for Developer under Main Tabs.
2. In the Project window, double-click the module you want to contain the macro. A module is a container for your code. If you don’t have any modules, you can add one by right-clicking on your project name and selecting Insert > Module.
3. On the Insert menu, click Procedure. This will open a dialog box where you can name your macro and specify its type (Sub or Function) and scope (Public or Private).
4. In the Name box, type a name for your macro. The name cannot contain spaces or special characters.
5. Click OK. This will create an empty subroutine with your macro name in the code window.
6. Type the code you want to run in the body of the subroutine between Sub and End Sub. You can use various objects, methods, properties and events from Outlook VBA to automate tasks such as sending emails, creating appointments, moving messages etc.
7. Save your project by clicking on File > Save Project As… and choosing a location and name for your project file (.otm).
8. Run your macro by clicking on Run > Run Sub/UserForm, pressing F5 key or using keyboard shortcuts such as Alt+F8.

You can find more on that here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/ou...

* Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Best Regards,

Georgw A.

Dear Herwin,

I’m sorry to hear that. Outlook VBA coding can be challenging to learn and understand. Maybe you can find some online tutorials or courses that can help you improve your skills and knowledge.

Alternatively, you can also try to use the built-in Outlook rules to manage your messages and folders. You can find more information about how to create and edit rules here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/mana...

If it seems easier, you can modify your VBA code to use the FolderPicker method of the Application object to display a dialog box that allows you to select a folder where you want to save the reply and the original message. You can then assign that folder to the SaveSentMessageFolder property of both items.

Here is an example of how you can do this:

(source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/26392482/vb...*)

Private Sub Application_ItemSend(ByVal Item As Object, Cancel As Boolean)
    Dim objNS As NameSpace
    Dim objFolder As Folder
    Dim intFolder As Integer
    Dim objReply As MailItem
    
    intFolder = MsgBox("Do you want to save the message?", vbYesNoCancel + vbQuestion, "Save Message")
    
    If intFolder = vbCancel Then
        Cancel = True
        Exit Sub
    ElseIf intFolder = vbYes Then
        Set objNS = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI")
        Set objFolder = objNS.Session.PickFolder 'Use FolderPicker method here
        
        If objFolder Is Nothing Then
            Cancel = True
            Exit Sub
        End If
        
        Set Item.SaveSentMessageFolder = objFolder 'Set SaveSentMessageFolder property for reply item
        
        If TypeOf Item Is MailItem And Item.ReplyRecipients.Count > 0 Then 'Check if item is a reply
            
            Set objReply = Item.Reply(False) 'Get original message
            
            Set objReply.SaveSentMessageFolder = objFolder 'Set SaveSentMessageFolder property for original message
            
            objReply.Close olDiscard 'Close original message without saving changes
            
        End If
        
    Else
    
        Set Item.SaveSentMessageFolder = Nothing
    
    End If

End Sub

Please note that this code is not tested and may need some adjustments.

* Note: This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

Best Regards,

George A.

Thanks George.

I appreciate your response and efforts to help me find the answer.

I am afraid the links are above my (limited) level of understanding of Outlook VBA coding.

Best,

Herwin

Thanks George.

Much appreciated.

Actually I need the prompt to choose a folder where to save the reply (and the original message), as in 99.99% of the case the original message will be in the inbox, and I need to save the reply and original message to another folder.

Dear Herwin_H,

I’m happy to help you with your Outlook VBA question.

You can actually use the Reply event of the MailItem object to set the SaveSentMessageFolder property for the reply item to the folder in which the original item resides. This way, you can save both the original message and the reply in the same folder without having to pick a folder manually.

Here is an example of how you can use this event in your VBA code:

Private WithEvents myItem As Outlook.MailItem

Sub Initialize_Handler()
 Set myItem = Application.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
End Sub

Private Sub myItem_Reply(ByVal Response As Object, Cancel As Boolean)
 Set Response.SaveSentMessageFolder = myItem.Parent
End Sub

More on that here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/ap....

I hope this helps you with your task.

Best Regards,

George A.