Menu Item Caption and Criteria Fields

In addition to selecting a menu type, the user must also enter a caption and a criteria for each menu item.  The text entered in the caption field is used by Categorize Plus to create the menu caption that is displayed in the Categorize Menu, the Filter Menu and the Search Menu.  The criteria is used for categorizing Outlook items and for creating filters and searches that are used to find Outlook items. 

Additional Help Topics regarding Categorize Plus Menu Items

• Adding Menu Items explains how to use the Menu Builder to add new menu items to the Menu Hierarchy.
• Entering Menu Captions explains how to enter the menu caption that will be displayed in the Categorize, Filter and Search Menus.
• Entering Menu Criteria explains the various methods of entering the menu criteria depending on the menu type selected.
• Changing Menu Types explains how to use the menu type drop down list to change the item's menu type.
• Menu Item Icons shows the different icons used to identify the different types of Menu Items that are used in the Categorize Plus menus.

The Different Menu Types Used in Categorize Plus:

Category Tag, Email Address, and Outlook Filter are three menu types that work with both Outlook 2003 and 2007

• Category Tag is the most frequently used menu type and appears in all three Categorize Plus menus; the Categorize Menu, the Filter Menu and the Search Menu.  When a Category Tag is selected from the Categorize Menu, then the text stored in the menu item's criteria field is used to categorize the selected Outlook items.  This same criteria is also used to create filters and searches when the Category Tag is selected from the Filter and Search Menus.  Therefore, by using the Categorize Menu to categorize Outlook items, then the same menu hierarchy can be used to filter and search these same Outlook items simply by selecting the corresponding Category Tags from the Filter and Search Menus.  Please refer to Category Tag Criteria for information on how to enter criteria for Category Tag menu items.
  
• Email Address is the second menu type, and since Email Addresses are not used to categorize items, they only appear in the Filter and Search Menus and do not appear in the Categorize Menu.  The text stored in the criteria field of Email Address menu items is used to find Outlook items that contain a specific email address.  This is done by searching the "To", "From", "CC" or "BCC" address fields in Outlook items for names or addresses that match the text stored in the menu item's criteria field.  Please refer to Email Address Criteria for information on how to enter criteria for Email Address menu items. 
  
• Outlook Filter is the third menu type, and like the name implies, Outlook Filters only appear in the Filter Menu and do not appear in the Categorize or Search Menus.  Outlook Filters are used to create additional filter criteria that are not covered by the Category Tag or Email Address menu types.  Filter criteria for these menu items are created using the familiar Outlook Filter dialog that allows the user to select from a wide range of filter criteria.  After selecting the filter criteria from the Outlook Filter dialog, then the Menu Builder automatically copies the resulting SQL query string directly into the Outlook Filter criteria field, after which, the user can apply the filter simply by selecting the menu item from the Categorize Plus Filter Menu.  Please refer to Custom Filter Criteria for information on how to enter criteria for Outlook Filter menu items.

Outlook Search is a fourth menu type that works only with Outlook 2007

• Outlook Search is a fourth menu type, and again as the name implies, Outlook Search menu items only appear in the Search Menu and do not appear in the Categorize or Filter Menus.  Similar to Outlook Filters, Outlook Search menu items are used to create search criteria that are not covered by the Category Tag or Email Address menu types.  The criteria stored in Outlook Search menu items are used to search for Outlook items by using Outlook's Instant Search capability that was introduced in Outlook 2007.  When the user selects a Outlook Search menu item from the Categorize Plus Search Menu, then Categorize Plus copies the text stored in the menu item's criteria field into Outlook's Instant Search text box and then applies the search.  This method allows the user to create a wide range of Instant Search criteria and then store these criteria in the Categorize Plus Menu Hierarchy, thus combining the convenience of Categorize Plus with the power of Outlook's Instant Search.  Please refer to Custom Search Criteria for information on how to enter criteria for Outlook Search menu items.

Lookeen Search and Taglocity Search are two additional menu types that work with Lookeen and Taglocity

• Lookeen Search and Taglocity Search are two additional menu types that are alternatives to using the Outlook Search menu type as described above.  The Lookeen Search and Taglocity Search menu types are identical to using the Outlook Search menu type except that Categorize Plus will use the Lookeen Search engine or the Tagocity Search engine instead of the Outlook Instant Search search engine.  The way this works is, whenever a Search menu item is selected, then Categorize Plus will first look for the respective search engine's toolbar and then look for the search engine's text input box that is located in the toolbar.  If found, then Categorize Plus will automatically write the selected search criteria into the text input box and execute the search command.  This will cause the respective search engine to execute the search.  Please refer to the Search Engines help topic for more information regarding the use of these alternative search engines with Categorize Plus.

Example of the Six Possible Menu Types as Shown in the Menu Builder:

See Also

Menu Builder | Menu Hierarchy | Building Menus | Changing Menu Types | Feature Comparison