OL97: Tracking the Delivery and Reading of E-mail Messages

• Microsoft Outlook 97

SUMMARY

Microsoft Outlook 97 has the ability to track the delivery and reading of e-mail messages sent to various recipients. This feature uses notification messages sent by the recipient's e-mail system. These notification messages can be logged to the original message's tracking page.

This tracking feature depends upon the e-mail software used by the recipient, the setting of options in Outlook, and the proper handling of the incoming notification messages. This article describes the conditions and requirements for proper operation of Outlook's message tracking feature.

MORE INFORMATION

System Requirements

To use the complete functionality of Outlook's receipt tracking feature the message recipient's mail server must be capable of sending these receipts. Some mail servers send no delivery or read information; others send a generic report in the form of a plain mail message. Outlook's tracking feature will not recognize these as receipt notifications so they will not be added to the message's tracking page.

Microsoft Exchange Server provides full message tracking capabilities.

Setting Message Tracking Options

1. To request Delivery and/or Read notification on a specific message:

   a. Open a new mail message.

   b. On the Options tab, click the desired Tracking options.

2. To request Delivery and/or Read notification on all mail messages:

   a. On the Outlook Tools menu, click Options.

   b. On the Sending tab, click the desired Tracking options.

Processing Notification Messages

The incoming notification messages will be logged to the original message (in the Sent Items folder) on its tracking page. This logging process can either be manually or automatically initiated.

1. Manual logging of notification messages:

   A notification message will be manually logged if it is either opened or deleted. There is no way to disable logging if the notification message is manually opened or deleted. However, deletion of the notification message by an Inbox rule will not log the message.

   NOTE: Deleting a large number of notification messages (for instance, from a message sent to a large alias) can be slow due to the necessity of opening the sent message for each notification.

2. Automatic logging of notification messages:

   The following conditions are required for automatic processing of notification messages:

         a. The sent message must remain in the default Sent Items folder.
   

         b. The notification receipt must remain in the default Inbox.
   

         c. There must be 30 to 60 seconds of idle time on your computer
            before the automatic processing will activate. Any keyboard or
            mouse movement will interrupt this idle time.
   
         d. The Automatic Processing options must be selected as follows:
   
            1) On the Tools menu, click Options.
   
            2) On the E-mail tab, click the desired "Settings for automatic
               processing of mail."
   
      When these conditions are satisfied, the incoming notification message
      will be automatically logged to the sent message's tracking page. After
      being logged it will be deleted (if that option is chosen).
   
   

Message Tracking Limitations

1. Only E-mail messages will be tracked. Outlook does not track Meeting Request or Task Request messages.

2. If the Original message is digitally encrypted, it cannot be tracked.

REFERENCES

For more information on message tracking, please see the following article(s)in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID:  Q160934
   TITLE     :  OL97: How to Sort and Print Tracking Information.

Keywords          : GnlFileM MsgSend
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbinfo