Precedence of Logical Operators

The order in which Filter Combo Boxes and Search Combo Boxes are arranged in the Categorize Plus Toolbar can change the result of the applied filter or search. The precedence for joining logical operators of different filter and search combo boxes is such that AND logical operations are performed before OR logical operations. Therefore, if the toolbar contains a combination of OR and AND logical operators, then the order of these combo boxes is significant. This behavior is illustrated in the example below. In this example, the result of the applied filter is changed simply by changing the position of the combo box that contains the OR logical operator.

To help manage this, it is possible to use the Outlook Customize Toolbar Dialog to re-order the Filter and Search Combo Boxes. After the combo boxes are re-positioned and the Customize Toolbar Dialog is closed, then Categorize Plus will automatically re-apply the filter or search using the new order of the combo boxes. To learn how to use the Outlook Customize Toolbar Dialog to re-order Filter and Search Combo Boxes, then please refer to the Re-Ordering Filter and Search Combo Boxes help topic. In addition, if you are connected to the internet and need further assistance, then please visit the following Microsoft Website that provides a tutorial for customizing Office Toolbars.

Note: Search Combo Boxes are only available when using Outlook 2007 and are not available when using previous versions of Outlook.

Enabling Duplicate Filter or Search Combo Boxes

Because the AND logical operators are performed before the OR logical operators, sometimes it is necessary to allow duplicate filter or search combo boxes to construct complex queries. For instance, in the example below it is not possible to construct (Project A AND Packaging) OR (Project B AND Packaging) without using a duplicate Packaging combo box. When Categorize Plus is initially installed, the default setting is to NOT allow duplicate filter and search combo boxes. Therefore, to learn how to enable the use of duplicate combo boxes, then please refer to the Duplicate Filter and Search Combo Boxes help topic.

Example of the Precedence of Logical Operators in the Categorize Plus Toolbar