Re: Question on old software
Re: Question on old software
- Subject: Re: Question on old software
- From: "Gary (Lists)" <email@hidden>
- Date: Sun, 05 Jun 2005 21:21:50 -0400
"Howard J Siegel" wrote:
> I hope that someone can help with question on old, old, old software.
Well, 'old, old, old' doesn't equate to something bad, so we can get that
out of the way. You'll find folks here using software even more 'vintage,
vintage, vintage' than that. :)
I even have a machine here that runs System 7.5.5 quite well, and I still
use it all the time.
But, onward...
It's slow around here on the weekends and may be a bit slow this week, with
WWDC and all that.
> I'm trying to help a friend prepare for an upgrade (finally) from a Power
> Mac 9600, System 8.6, AppleScript 1.1.1, Outlook Express 5.0.6 to a iMac G5,
> Tiger, etc.
Okay, that AppleScript version is off. System 8.6 should have an AS version
of AppleScript 1.3.7 or more. Not that this matters all that much, probably,
but it might cause a script that otherwise is expected to work to fail.
> He wants to 'archive' over 220 Outlook Express folders (most with multiple
> subfolders) and over 40,000 individual emails to digests by subfolder in MS
> Word (all emails in a specific [sub]folder become 1 MS Word document).
Without saying that's one of the craziest ideas I've ever heard (see how I
didn't say it?) is there some reason why this _must_ be result?
You can, I believe, produce mbox files from OE -- just drag a folder to the
desktop.
Will your friend (whom you are not smacking with wet trout for wanting to
pile thousands of messages into one MS Word document) be using MS Entourage,
the evolved descendant of Outlook Express?
If so, then either the mbox method or a direct import into Entourage will
preserve the messages inside a mail client.
If the goal (a worthy one) is to get all those messages out and into the
wild so they can still be searched for content, then text or mbox are useful
alternatives.
> There are a number of scripts available to create the digest, but all (of
> the ones I've found) require the MANUAL selection of all the emails in the
> folder, or the script does not work.
The Microsoft MVP page for Entourage has links to Outlook Express scripts as
well. You might also do a google for "allen watson applescript outlook" and
get to Allen's .Mac page and look around there for other Outlook Express
management scripts.
Also, google "paul berkowitz applescript entourage outlook" to get to some
of Paul's excellent scripts.
There are other resources for OE scripts but I think these three general
references will expose links to some others (particularly links from the MS
MVP pages, where you'll see a number of familiar names, RE:
Outlook/Entourage scripting.)
> Question - Using the above listed software, is there a way in AppleScript to
> select (highlight) all of the contents of a single folder so that the
> 'archive' script will work?
Well, probably not very easily, if you mean some kind of GUI scripting
(there are GUI options for that OS, including KeyQuencer Lite (free).)
You could conceivably use Rules and trigger the script from a Rule that
acted on every message. I'd have to go and look at OE while running to see
exactly. I couldn't fool with it tonight, but I could do it tomorrow or
soon thereafter.
You are better off, IMO, going back and searching for more useful methods of
archiving. Failing that, looking for more robust scripted solutions designed
for Outlook Express. Failing that, you can use KQ Lite to simulate clicks,
menu pulls, and the like, so there is that option for "faking" the manual
selecting if the script _really_ needs that. (It likely would not, but I
could be wrong.)
If your friend will be upgrading Outlook Express to Entourage, then you can
easily create a new Entourage identity, import the OE messages, use some
Entourage to Word scripts and then delete the temporary identity.
Later on, you may even get a really useful pointer from the OE scripting
machine himself, Paul B. He may have an idea or a script in his head.
Keep refining the plan and come back as needed. It's the kind of real world
problem that I find useful and intriguing, and maybe others will as well.
--
Gary
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