I have been forced to use Outlook (2010), and one of the main features I've been missing was to be able to mark all a folder and sub-folders trees as read in 1 shot. The solution I found was to activate the VBA macros, and to link one as a task icon in the usual Outlook views.
Note that the macro given below is prompting a list of your outlook folders. This could be enhanced by choosing the selected folder since outlook doesn't allow to select
How to activate the Developer tab in outlook and authorize the Macro execution
- Go to the "File"
- Go to "Options" to open the "Outlook Options" window
- In "Customize Ribbon", on the right panel, select "Developer".
- Finish this step with "Ok".
- Go to "Trust Center", then "Trust Center Settings" to open the "Trust Center" window
- Go to "Macro Settings".
- Select "Enable all macros (not recommended; potentially dangerous code can run)".
- Finish by clicking "Ok" to close the "Trust Center" and the "Outlook option" windows.
How to create a VBA macro in Outlook
A macro is any public subroutine in a code module. A function or a private subroutine cannot be a macro, and a macro cannot be located in a class or form module.
To create a new macro :
- In Outlook, on the Developer tab of the Microsoft Office Fluent ribbon, click Visual Basic.
- In the Project window, double-click the module you want to contain the macro.
- On the Insert menu, click Procedure.
- In the Name box, type a name for the macro. The name cannot contain spaces.
- Click OK. The template for the macro subroutine appears in the code module window.
- Type the code you want to run in the body of the subroutine.
(from ref [2])
Source Code of the Macro
Sub MarkAllRead()
Dim ResultFolder As Folder
Dim Folder As Folder
Dim item As MailItem
Dim BaseFolder As Outlook.MAPIFolder
Dim WalkResult As Long
Set BaseFolder = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI").PickFolder
Set ResultFolder = GetFolder(BaseFolder.FolderPath)
For Each Folder In ResultFolder.Folders
WalkResult = GetNextLevel(ResultFolder.FolderPath)
For Each item In Folder.Items.Restrict("[unread] = true")
item.UnRead = False
Next
Next
Set ResultFolder = Nothing
Set Folder = Nothing
Set item = Nothing
End Sub
Function GetNextLevel(strFolderPath As String) As Long
Dim WalkResultFolder As Folder
Dim Folder As Folder
Dim item As MailItem
Dim WalkResult As Long
Set WalkResultFolder = GetFolder(strFolderPath)
For Each Folder In WalkResultFolder.Folders
WalkResult = GetNextLevel(Folder.FolderPath)
For Each item In Folder.Items.Restrict("[unread] = true")
item.UnRead = False
Next
Next
Set ResultFolder = Nothing
Set Folder = Nothing
Set item = Nothing
End Function
Function GetFolder(strFolderPath As String) As MAPIFolder
Dim colFolders As Outlook.Folders
Dim objFolder As Outlook.MAPIFolder
Dim arrFolders() As String
Dim i As Long
On Error Resume Next
strFolderPath = Replace(strFolderPath, "\\", "")
strFolderPath = Replace(strFolderPath, "/", "\")
arrFolders() = Split(strFolderPath, "\")
Set objFolder = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI").Folders.item(arrFolders(0))
If Not objFolder Is Nothing Then
For i = 1 To UBound(arrFolders)
Set colFolders = objFolder.Folders
Set objFolder = Nothing
Set objFolder = colFolders.item(arrFolders(i))
If objFolder Is Nothing Then
Exit For
End If
Next
End If
Set GetFolder = objFolder
Set colFolders = Nothing
End Function
(from ref [1] )
How to add a quick access link to your macro
Right click on the arrow at the right end of the Quick Access Toolbar (top right of the outlook window)
Select "More Commands"
On the left panel, select "Macros" (by default it's on "Popular Commands")
Select your Macro on the list, and hit "Add >>". If you have some other icons, you can reorganize them with the up & down arrow on the right.
Sources / references
To Do
Change the macro so that it directly takes the selected Folder as an input.
