In Outlook, I can create multiple contact-type folders and even put them
within a tree to keep similar e-mails, contacts, and notes together. In
the Windows Address Book used by Outlook Express, I could create
subfolders for contacts. Not quite as handy as in Outlook but it did
let me separate my contacts: personal, by employer (one folder for
each), job search, projects (one for each), spam reporting, and so
forth. In Windows Live Mail, it looks like all I get is one flat list
of contacts. That is, I cannot create folders to organize my different
types of contacts. No, I'm not talking about groups (aka distribution
lists) but folders to organize contacts by type rather than dump them
all into the same bucket. So instead of having boxes or drawers of
different sized nails, screws, and other hardware, you get one bucket
that they all get tossed into. Oh yeah, that's convenient ... not.

Yeah, I know Microsoft tossed away identities because they stupidly
thought they were used for multiple users under the same Windows session
although they were handy for the SAME person to separate home from work
e-mail sessions. Unless I missed how to create folders within the
Contacts container in Windows Live Mail, apparently organization into
folders for contacts was also lost. Geez, Microsoft must think that
users want no organization or structure to their data.

Contacts are linked to Live IDs, if you use them. If you want
separate contacts lists for different purposes, just use a different
Live ID for each category.
--
Noel

"VanguardLH" <V@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fvl9i8$avo$1@xxxxxx

> In Outlook, I can create multiple contact-type folders and even
> put them
> within a tree to keep similar e-mails, contacts, and notes
> together. In
> the Windows Address Book used by Outlook Express, I could create
> subfolders for contacts. Not quite as handy as in Outlook but it
> did
> let me separate my contacts: personal, by employer (one folder for
> each), job search, projects (one for each), spam reporting, and so
> forth. In Windows Live Mail, it looks like all I get is one flat
> list
> of contacts. That is, I cannot create folders to organize my
> different
> types of contacts. No, I'm not talking about groups (aka
> distribution
> lists) but folders to organize contacts by type rather than dump
> them
> all into the same bucket. So instead of having boxes or drawers
> of
> different sized nails, screws, and other hardware, you get one
> bucket
> that they all get tossed into. Oh yeah, that's convenient ...
> not.
>
> Yeah, I know Microsoft tossed away identities because they
> stupidly
> thought they were used for multiple users under the same Windows
> session
> although they were handy for the SAME person to separate home from
> work
> e-mail sessions. Unless I missed how to create folders within the
> Contacts container in Windows Live Mail, apparently organization
> into
> folders for contacts was also lost. Geez, Microsoft must think
> that
> users want no organization or structure to their data.

"Ildhund" wrote in <news:OmeEP8irIHA.552@xxxxxx>:

> Contacts are linked to Live IDs, if you use them. If you want
> separate contacts lists for different purposes, just use a different
> Live ID for each category.

I don't use Windows Live Hotmail accounts in Windows Live Mail. I also
do NOT have Windows Live Mail automatically login to my Windows Live
Hotmail account when it starts. I don't use Hotmail (not anymore). The
workaround you suggest would require me to create multiple Live IDs just
to be able to *locally* organize my contacts for use by non-Live ID
accounts.

Clicking on the Contacts bar in the left-pane brings up the *local*
contacts list. In the window that opens to show that address book, I
cannot figure out how to create subfolders. The Windows Address Book
(.wab file) has had this ability since, well, probably forever from its
creation and availability. Odd that Microsoft decided to discard this
organizational feature in Windows Live Mail's contacts list.

"VanguardLH" <V@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fvle9p$4a8$1@xxxxxx

> "Ildhund" wrote in <news:OmeEP8irIHA.552@xxxxxx>:
>

>> Contacts are linked to Live IDs, if you use them. If you want
>> separate contacts lists for different purposes, just use a
>> different Live ID for each category.

> I don't use Windows Live Hotmail accounts in Windows Live Mail.

So what?

> I also do NOT have Windows Live Mail automatically login to my
> Windows Live Hotmail account when it starts. I don't use Hotmail
> (not anymore).

Difficult to see how you could log in to a Hotmail account if you
don't use Hotmail.

> The workaround you suggest would require me to create multiple
> Live IDs just to be able to *locally* organize my contacts for use
> by non-Live ID accounts.

And?

> Clicking on the Contacts bar in the left-pane brings up the
> *local* contacts list.

Clicking on the 'Contacts' icon (or bar if you haven't collapsed it)
at the foot of the Folder pane brings up one of potentially many
*local* lists of contacts, the one associated with your sign-in Live
ID. If you're not signed in, then it brings up the *local* Default
list. It's not a 'workaround' - just a different way of doing
things.

> In the window that opens to show that address book, I cannot
> figure out how to create subfolders.

That's because the program doesn't allow for folders in its contacts
databases. Just like Gmail doesn't work with message folders like
most other webmail services.

> The Windows Address Book (.wab file) has had this ability since,
> well, probably forever from its creation and availability. Odd
> that Microsoft decided to discard this organizational feature in
> Windows Live Mail's contacts list.

It took a lot of persuading to get my wife to drive a car that had
no clutch pedal. Since she learned to drive with automatic
transmission, she's never looked back.

Using Live IDs to separate contacts into groups works for me, but if
you're determined to insist on using the technique you're used to,
just do that in another client. However, I should not like to think
that other readers of this thread in the future, having read only
your postings, would get the impression that there's no way in
WLMail of having separate lists of contacts for different purposes.
--
Noel

I agree that the lack of organizational folders is a real disappointment. I
guess only us who have used that capability understand it's worthiness.

That said, Noel's suggestion to use different Live ID's for splitting out
different groups partially works....you can organize your contacts with
separate Live ID's but one drawback to this approach is where there is some
overlap, ie. you want to send the same message to contacts in more than one
group/Live ID....difficult to do!!!

Noel also suggests that we provide feedback to MS via the feedback route
provided under the 'Help' menu....please send in your feedback and
comments....I did and I hope enough folks do that we can get some attention
to this shortcoming.

Thanks,

bj


"VanguardLH" <V@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:fvl9i8$avo$1@xxxxxx

> In Outlook, I can create multiple contact-type folders and even put them
> within a tree to keep similar e-mails, contacts, and notes together. In
> the Windows Address Book used by Outlook Express, I could create
> subfolders for contacts. Not quite as handy as in Outlook but it did
> let me separate my contacts: personal, by employer (one folder for
> each), job search, projects (one for each), spam reporting, and so
> forth. In Windows Live Mail, it looks like all I get is one flat list
> of contacts. That is, I cannot create folders to organize my different
> types of contacts. No, I'm not talking about groups (aka distribution
> lists) but folders to organize contacts by type rather than dump them
> all into the same bucket. So instead of having boxes or drawers of
> different sized nails, screws, and other hardware, you get one bucket
> that they all get tossed into. Oh yeah, that's convenient ... not.
>
> Yeah, I know Microsoft tossed away identities because they stupidly
> thought they were used for multiple users under the same Windows session
> although they were handy for the SAME person to separate home from work
> e-mail sessions. Unless I missed how to create folders within the
> Contacts container in Windows Live Mail, apparently organization into
> folders for contacts was also lost. Geez, Microsoft must think that
> users want no organization or structure to their data.

"Ildhund" wrote in <news:#1Yzk5jrIHA.1200@xxxxxx>:

> "VanguardLH" wrote ...

>> I also do NOT have Windows Live Mail automatically login to my
>> Windows Live Hotmail account when it starts. I don't use Hotmail
>> (not anymore).

>
> Difficult to see how you could log in to a Hotmail account if you
> don't use Hotmail.

Not *using* a Hotmail account doesn't mean that I don't have one, or
several (I had 5 and am now down to 2). I *have* a bunch of stuff in my
garage that I also do not *use*.

>> The workaround you suggest would require me to create multiple
>> Live IDs just to be able to *locally* organize my contacts for use
>> by non-Live ID accounts.

>
> And?

It seems wasteful to be creating extra accounts just as a workaround to
the lack of organization within a contacts list. It also incurs the
headaches of having to maintain multiple accounts. It's very much like
having to carry around multiple one-chapter books rather than having all
the chapters within a single book. Yeah, doable but messy.

>> Clicking on the Contacts bar in the left-pane brings up the
>> *local* contacts list.

>
> Clicking on the 'Contacts' icon (or bar if you haven't collapsed it)
> at the foot of the Folder pane brings up one of potentially many
> *local* lists of contacts, the one associated with your sign-in Live
> ID. If you're not signed in, then it brings up the *local* Default
> list. It's not a 'workaround' - just a different way of doing
> things.

So are those contacts actually available locally when *not* logged in to
those other Live ID accounts? Wouldn't be of any value if I had to
logout of one Live ID and log into a different Live ID to get at the
contacts in the other Live ID account. Are the contacts for each Live
ID account available while offline from that account?

>> In the window that opens to show that address book, I cannot
>> figure out how to create subfolders.

>
> That's because the program doesn't allow for folders in its contacts
> databases. Just like Gmail doesn't work with message folders like
> most other webmail services.

Not sure what you meant there. Gmail has IMAP access so all its folders
are available. Setup in WLM is a bit goofy for Gmail in that WLM
doesn't seem to properly preset the root folder to "[Gmail]" and you end
up with a set of local folders and another set of server folders but
adding the root in the e-mail account fixes that.

>> The Windows Address Book (.wab file) has had this ability since,
>> well, probably forever from its creation and availability. Odd
>> that Microsoft decided to discard this organizational feature in
>> Windows Live Mail's contacts list.

>
> It took a lot of persuading to get my wife to drive a car that had
> no clutch pedal. Since she learned to drive with automatic
> transmission, she's never looked back.

You're going the wrong way. Having organization ready available within
the same interface is like having the automatic transmission. Having to
create multiple Live IDs and presuming their contact lists are available
in WLM when *not* connected to each Live ID is like having the manual
transmission. I don't anyone that can't figure out how to drive an
automatic when they used to drive a manual, but I know lots of folks
that won't go from an automatic to a manual transmission.

> Using Live IDs to separate contacts into groups works for me, but if
> you're determined to insist on using the technique you're used to,
> just do that in another client.

Yes, if it works, it is doable. Doesn't mean it is desirable or even
logical. I doubt it is mainstream that users instinctively figure out
that they need multiple Live IDs to get some organization to their
contacts lists, so doing this is a workaround, not an intended method
for organization. It's doable. Watering the lawn by repeatedly walking
around with a water can is doable, too.

Thanks for the info, anyway. It does provide a workaround should I
decide to go that way.

No..for use in WLM
and
Yes, via Windows Explorer.


--
...winston
ms-mvp mail


"VanguardLH" <V@xxxxxx> wrote in message

> So are those contacts actually available locally when *not* logged in to
> those other Live ID accounts? Wouldn't be of any value if I had to
> logout of one Live ID and log into a different Live ID to get at the
> contacts in the other Live ID account. Are the contacts for each Live
> ID account available while offline from that account?