Help Centre › Building Processes
This article describes the RPA Outlook functionality to suggest smart rules using AI.
For a full list of available functions, please read OUTLOOK functions.
Description
The OUTLOOK Smart rules function uses AI to analyse recent e-mails in a folder and suggest Outlook rules for inbox organisation. The AI identifies patterns in senders, subjects, and content, then proposes rules with conditions and actions. Optionally, rules can be auto-created in Outlook.
Setting it up
To use the OUTLOOK Smart rules function, follow these instructions:
{{popups:rpas/add:action=outlook-smart-rules}}
Once on a process map:
- Navigate to the process where you would like to add the OUTLOOK Smart rules function
- Click on the green button's drop-down (right side of the green button labelled "Process")
- On the menu that appears, click on the "+ Activity" item
- From here you can select the OUTLOOK Smart rules option
- Click "Add" once you are done
Input parameters
| Parameter | Required | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folder | No | Text | Inbox | Folder to analyse |
| E-mails to analyse | No | Text | 100 | Number of recent e-mails to analyse |
| Auto-create rules | No | Switch | Off | Automatically create the suggested rules in Outlook |
| Variable | Yes | Text | - | Variable to store the suggestions list |
Output variables
| Variable | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Variable | List | A list of rule suggestions, each containing: name, condition, value, action, target, reason |
Errors
| Error | Description |
|---|---|
| Outlook not open | Outlook is not running |
| Folder not found | The specified folder does not exist |
| AI processing error | The AI could not analyse the e-mails |
Tips
- Start with auto-create off to review suggestions first
- A larger analysis set gives better pattern detection
- Run periodically to keep inbox rules up to date