Another approach would be to use a run a script rule action (see example below) to use information read in from a file and process the message with that data. You'd want to read in the file data just once, when Outlook starts.

However, given that there are free antispam tools out there, you might be better off using one of them to do the processing. No doubt it will have optimizations that OUtlook VBA code doesn't.

Here's what a basic "run a script" rule looks like:

Sub RunAScriptRuleRoutine(MyMail As MailItem)
Dim strID As String
Dim olNS As Outlook.NameSpace
Dim msg As Outlook.MailItem

strID = MyMail.EntryID
Set olNS = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI")
Set msg = olNS.GetItemFromID(strID)
' do stuff with msg, e.g.
MsgBox msg.SUbject

Set msg = Nothing
Set olNS = Nothing
End Sub

See http://www.outlookcode.com/d/code/zaphtml.htm#ol2002 for another example.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx

"CodeKid" wrote in message ...
In Outlook 2003, rules based on keywords require that each keyword be entered
one at a time. I need to execute a rule based on a lengthly list (not a spam
filter) of words that will need to be changed often. I'd like to do this by
maintaining a text file of the words and have a VBA script (or rule)
reference that file.

Is this possible?

I've written code for Excel but never Outlook. Any guidance/code you can
offer would be greatly appreciated.


-CodeKid