START LOGGING INTERNET MAIL SESSIONS
NEED AN EDITOR? OUTLOOK'S GOT A FEW
AUTOTEXT: IT COMPLETES YOUR THOUGHTS
MERGE DATA INTO YOUR CONTACTS FOLDER, PART 1
MERGE DATA INTO YOUR CONTACTS FOLDER, PART 2
A BETTER VIEW: MAKE YOUR CALENDAR NOTES VISIBLE
SENDING CALENDAR ITEMS TO OTHERS
WOULD THE REAL OWNER OF THE TASK PLEASE STAND UP?
SEND A TASK REQUEST TO A GROUP
IS YOUR BOSS KEEPING AN EYE ON YOU?
SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF MISSING MESSAGES
USE MACROS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE, PART 1
USE MACROS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE, PART 2
USE MACROS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE, PART 3
WHY THE PERSONAL TOUCH ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER
WHERE'S THE MICROSOFT MAIL SERVICE?
SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T TAKE SHORTCUTS
DISABLE AUTOARCHIVING AND .PST FILES
DO YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON?
HELP EXCHANGE USERS WHO DON'T USE OUTLOOK
ATTACHMENT AND TEXT ENCODING, PART 1
ATTACHMENT AND TEXT ENCODING, PART 2
SPEED UP OUTLOOK FOR REMOTE USERS
One of the more popular options in Outlook is the Preview Pane because you don't have to actually open each of your e-mail messages--and therefore, you save some time. To switch on the Preview Pane, select View | Preview Pane. But in using the Preview Pane, one of the more confusing things is remembering which messages you've actually read and which ones you just accidentally clicked in the Inbox. You can get rid of this confusion by modifying the Preview Pane's options. Choose Tools | Options and click the Other tab. Click Preview Pane and the Preview Pane dialog box will open. You can select the Mark Messages As Read In Preview Window check box and then determine how many seconds Outlook should wait before marking a message as read. Or you can keep the Mark Messages As Read When Selection Changes option, and items will be marked when you click them. But if you really need to keep better track of what you have and haven't read, deselect both options and click OK. Now messages will remain marked unread until you actually open the message. When you want to mark the message as read, you can use the keyboard shortcut: [Ctrl]Q.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
As we've mentioned before, Outlook 2000 is very configurable. One of the things you can configure is the background color of the Outlook Calendar--a great tip to pass on to your users to help brighten their day. To change the background color of the calendar, choose Tools | Options and click the Preferences tab. Click Calendar Options. From the Background Color drop-down list, select a new color; then click OK twice. This new color will be displayed in the Day and Work Week views during work hours. Night and weekend hours will be a darker version of the chosen color. You can also change the color of your Outlook notes, a useful way to organize them by topic. Click Tools | Options. On the Preferences tab, click Note Options. Choose the color from the drop-down list (blue, pink, green, yellow, or white), and click OK twice.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Like other Office applications, Outlook 2000 provides many keyboard command shortcuts by default. Unlike some of the applications such as Word or Excel, you can't assign or change the keyboard shortcuts in Outlook 2000, but there are still plenty to help you out. In this three-part series, we'll bring you the keyboard shortcuts that will help you save both time and mouse clicks.
To start you off, here are some of the more general keyboard shortcuts:
* [F1]--Opens the Office Assistant.
* [Shift][F1]--Displays "balloon" help for a selected item.
* [Ctrl][Shift]F or [F3]--Opens the Advanced Find dialog box.
* [Alt][F4]--Closes Outlook.
* [F6]--Shifts between subwindows (such as Folder List, Preview Pane, etc.).
* [Alt][F8]--Opens the Macros dialog box.
* [Alt][F11]--Opens the Visual Basic Editor.
* [Ctrl]N--Opens a new item for the current folder.
* [Ctrl][Enter]--Sends a message.
* [Ctrl]R--Replies to a message.
* [Ctrl][Shift]R--Replies to all recipients in a message.
* [Ctrl]F--Forwards an item.
* [Ctrl]K--Checks names and resolves addresses.
* [Ctrl]Q--Marks an item read.
* [Ctrl]C--Copies selected text to the clipboard.
* [Ctrl]X--Deletes selected text and copies it to the clipboard.
* [Ctrl]V--Pastes selected text from the clipboard.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Like other Office applications, Outlook 2000 provides many keyboard command shortcuts by default. Continuing our three-part series, here are some more keyboard shortcuts that will help you save both time and mouse clicks.
To create new items in Outlook, use these shortcuts:
* [Ctrl][Shift]A--Creates a new appointment.
* [Ctrl][Shift]C--Creates a new contact.
* [Ctrl][Shift]E--Creates a new folder.
* [Ctrl][Shift]J--Creates a new journal entry.
* [Ctrl][Shift]K--Creates a new task.
* [Ctrl][Shift]U--Creates a new task assignment.
* [Ctrl][Shift]L--Creates a new distribution list.
* [Ctrl][Shift]M--Creates a new mail message.
* [Ctrl][Shift]N--Creates a new note.
* [Ctrl][Shift]Q--Creates a new meeting request.
* [Ctrl][Shift]S--Creates a new discussion post in the current folder.
To open specific dialog boxes or move to specific folders, use these keyboard combinations:
* [Ctrl][Shift]B--Opens the Address Book.
* [Ctrl][Shift]G--Opens the Flag For Follow Up dialog box.
* [Ctrl][Shift]H--Opens the New Office Document dialog box.
* [Ctrl][Shift]P--Opens the Find People dialog box (when in Internet Only mode).
* [Ctrl][Shift]V--Opens the Move Items dialog box.
* [Ctrl][Shift]Y--Opens the Copy Items dialog box.
* [Ctrl][Shift]I--Switches to the Inbox.
* [Ctrl][Shift]O--Switches to the Outbox.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Like other Office applications, Outlook 2000 provides many keyboard command shortcuts by default. Wrapping up our three-part series, here are some Calendar-specific keyboard shortcuts that will help you save both time and mouse clicks.
* [Home]--Takes you to the start of the workday in the Calendar.
* [End]--Takes you to the end of the workday in the Calendar.
* [Ctrl][Home]--Takes you to 12:00 A.M. on the selected day.
* [Ctrl][End]--Takes you to 11:30 P.M. on the selected day.
* [Alt][Home]--Takes you to the beginning of the current week.
* [Alt][End]--Takes you to the end of the current week.
* [Alt][Page Up]--Takes you to the first day of the current month.
* [Alt][Page Down]--Takes you to the last day of the current month.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
START LOGGING INTERNET MAIL SESSIONS
If you're encountering problems accessing Internet accounts, it can be useful to enable logging for the connection. Unfortunately, Outlook provides no direct way to do it, but you can activate logging of Internet mail sessions by making changes to the registry.
Follow these steps:
1. Close Outlook.
2. Open the Registry Editor.
3. Find the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Outlook\Options\Mail
4. Click Edit | New | DWORD Value. Name it Logging and give it a value of 1.
5. Close the Registry Editor and start Outlook. The next time you use Outlook to connect, or attempt to connect, to an Internet account, three files will be created in the C:\Windows\Temp\Outlook Logging folder.
Each account on the computer will have its own log folder, which will contain three files for logging activities.
* InetXP.txt logs the Internet session.
* Pop3log.txt logs mail-retrieval activity.
* Smtplog.txt logs mail-sending activity.
NOTE: Please remember that editing your registry can be risky; always have a verified backup before you begin.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
NEED AN EDITOR? OUTLOOK'S GOT A FEW
In Outlook 2000, you have four available e-mail editors at your disposal: Outlook Rich Text, Plain Text, HTML, or Word. You're probably familiar with the first three options, and you're probably more than familiar with Microsoft Word. By combining Outlook and Word, you'll find an advantageous alliance. There are many advantages to using Word as your editor.
Here are some of the reasons:
* Supports AutoCorrect: As you type, Word will automatically fix common typos.
* Checks spelling: As in regular Word documents, misspelled words will be marked with a squiggly red line, so you don't have to run the spell checker before sending. It also provides the grammar checker and thesaurus.
* Supports tables: You can use tables to organize information in your mails. Sending e-mail in HTML format will preserve the formatting, even for recipients who don't use Word.
* Supports Find And Replace: Now when you misspell the company's name, you won't have to look for every reference.
* Supports other Word features: You can use helpful features such as Insert Date, Word Count, and Bullets And Numbering.
To turn on Word as your default e-mail editor, select Tools | Options in Outlook. Click the Mail Format tab. Select the Use Microsoft Word To Edit E-mail Messages check box and click OK. But before you make the switch, you should know that there are also a few drawbacks to using Word as your e-mail editor.
Here are a couple of them:
* When Word is your editor, it will stay loaded in your computer's memory until you exit Outlook.
* Word's file recovery doesn't work properly if you open Outlook before you open Word.
This means if you have Outlook open and then open Word to type a document, Word won't recover any documents if your system crashes.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
When you install Outlook, you're given three different installation options: the Internet Only mode, the Corporate/Workgroup mode, or the No E-mail mode. While you may be familiar with Internet Only and Corporate/Workgroup, you might not be as familiar with the No E-mail mode. Let's review the more common choices, and then we'll introduce you to No E-mail. If you send and receive all e-mail through an Internet service provider or an e-mail server, you would choose Internet Only. The ISPs or servers use Internet standards such as POP3, SMTP, or IMAP for delivery. If you use Exchange Server, Microsoft Mail, or a third-party e-mail service (such as cc:Mail), you would choose Corporate/Workgroup. You would also select this option if you use an ISP but employ other programs as well, such as voice mail. Outlook's No E-mail mode lets you use Outlook as a personal information manager. It does not provide any capability to send and receive e-mail or faxes. While it may seem "wrong" to use Outlook without your Inbox, don't forget about all of its other capabilities that you depend on daily. This service option uses a personal folder file in which you can save items from your Calendar, Contacts, Journal, Notes, and Tasks folders. You can share the information in this folder with other Outlook users in the same way that you share other files. Stay tuned: Next week we'll examine Outlook's modes more in-depth in a four-part series.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Last time, we gave you a quick overview of Outlook's three modes. You already know that if you're using Exchange Server, you should choose the Corporate/Workgroup mode when installing Outlook. And you've been introduced to the advantages of the No E-mail mode. But what's the deal with all these modes? Why do they exist? Outlook has two main modes--Internet Only and Corporate/Workgroup--for historical reasons. When Microsoft began to design Outlook, the Internet had yet to reach critical mass, so Microsoft focused on using the application as a client for its mail server, Microsoft Exchange. However, before the first version of Outlook shipped as part of Office 97, it became clear to Microsoft that Outlook needed to support Internet mail. But Outlook 97 had a drawback: Its Internet e-mail functionality suffered from the overhead that the Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) put on Outlook. To improve Internet e-mail performance, Microsoft introduced the Internet Only mode in Outlook 98, a mode of Outlook that can't connect to Exchange or any other MAPI-based e-mail server. Next time, we'll discuss how to figure out which mode you're using and how to switch modes.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
In this four-part series, we're looking at Outlook's modes. Last time, we gave you an overview of the history of why there are different modes in Outlook. Today we're looking at how to determine which Outlook mode you're using and how to change it. You can determine the mode that Outlook was installed in by selecting Help | About Microsoft Outlook. In the About Microsoft Outlook dialog box, your mode appears on the second line (beneath the version). If you're using Outlook 2000, you can reconfigure the mode you use.
Follow these steps:
1. Choose Tools | Options. If you're using the Corporate/Workgroup mode, select the Mail Services tab. If you're using the Internet Only mode, select the Mail Delivery tab.
2. Click Reconfigure Mail Support.
3. Select the mode you want and click Next.
4 . Read the warning message and click Yes. Outlook will close.
When Outlook restarts, the Outlook installer will activate to switch the mode for you. Keep in mind that Outlook will need your Outlook CD and the CD key. But before switching modes, there are some issues you need to be aware of. The next part of our series will let you know about these issues so you can be prepared.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Continuing our four-part series on Outlook's modes, let's look at what can happen when you change them. Last time we told you how to switch modes--a relatively easy process. But before you make the switch, here are some potential issues you should be familiar with.
* On workstations where more than one user works, all users have to use the same mode of Outlook. If one user on the workstation changes the mode, all other users are switched automatically.
* The pointers that Outlook uses for sent mail addresses are different for each mode; therefore, addresses on your sent mail may become unreadable if you switch modes.
* Outlook will reset its tracking record of the mail you have already downloaded; therefore, Outlook will download all the mail left on your mail server, even if you've already downloaded it in another mode.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
In our four-part series on Outlook's modes, we've explored the reason for multiple modes, how to determine your mode, how to change your mode, and what you should know before making the switch. To wrap up the series, let's look at a few more reasons why you would choose one over the other. You know that if you use Microsoft Exchange Server, you have to use the Corporate/Workgroup mode. If you're not using Exchange, you may think that it's better to use the Internet Only mode. But make your choices wisely: There are reasons that you may want to use the Corporate/Workgroup mode.
Here are some of the advantages:
* You can only use multiple Outlook profiles in Corporate/Workgroup mode.
* Third-party solutions for faxing and voice mail typically require you to use this mode.
* Microsoft has published a specification for third-party mail systems (such as Banyan Mail, Lotus Notes Mail, and MCI Mail) to link to Outlook by using a MAPI service provider. If you want to connect Outlook to one of these systems, you need to use this mode. But let's not be too hasty: Internet Only has its own advantages.
* It's faster because it doesn't have to support MAPI.
* When collecting Internet mail, this mode provides a great graphical progress indicator that shows you how many messages you have and how many it has collected so far.
* The Internet Only mode supports both IMAP and POP, and the Corporate/Workgroup mode supports only POP.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
For all those times when you can't figure out how to tactfully say someone's dead wrong, or when you're just so angry that everything you write borders on the offensive, it's a good thing that you have Outlook's draft feature on your side. And the best thing is that Outlook's draft feature is there for you without much intervention on your part. By default, Outlook will save a copy of the message you're working on every three minutes in the Drafts folder. And you can always manually save a draft copy of your message. When you close an unsent message, Outlook gives you the option of keeping the draft or discarding it. When you send a message, Outlook will automatically delete the draft from the folder. If you find that three minutes is either too long or too short for Outlook to save a draft, you can easily change your defaults.
Follow these steps:
1. Select Tools | Options.
2. On the Preferences tab, click E-mail Options.
3. Click Advanced E-mail Options.
4. In the Save Messages section, you can designate how long Outlook should wait before saving a draft, and you can decide where you want your drafts saved.
5. Click OK to close all dialog boxes.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
One of our readers needed help with accessing a client's Exchange environment while dialed into his own office. On the surface, this sounds easy. But every time he tried to do it, Outlook would attempt to access the modem instead of going out over his network connection. Eventually Outlook figured out that it should be looking elsewhere, but waiting for it to come to this realization takes precious time.
Here's what we suggest:
1. Go to Tools | Services.
2. Click Properties for each service. 3. Select the Connections tab.
4. Select I Establish My Internet Connection Manually.
5. Click OK to exit all dialog boxes.
This approach appears to work best with Outlook 2000.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
It's happened to everyone, and we all know that sinking feeling when we realize (too late, of course) that another birthday has passed while we were busy with that important project. And since the project holds little importance to the slighted object of our affection, we swear that it will never happen again. Want to make sure it really doesn't? If you enter a birthday (or anniversary) for an Outlook contact (you'll find it on the Details tab), the item is entered as a recurring event on your Outlook calendar. But remember: There's no way to turn this feature on or off. So while this can be your saving grace in your personal life, it's probably going to extremes if you're reminded of each and every one of your clients' special days. If you have a falling out with a significant other and don't wish to be reminded of anything, you can get rid of the entry in one of two ways: Change the birthday entry to None in the contact, or open the item as a series from your calendar and delete it. (This won't change the entry in your contact item.)
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Are you tired of getting excited over the latest pictures of your new nephew, only to discover that the attachment's format is not one your computer supports? How much time have you wasted with users, either helping them view an attachment they don't have the application for or explaining why they can't view it at all? If these situations sound familiar, maybe you should look into Jasc Software. Jasc Software's Quick View Plus 6 is a set of file viewers that allows you to view a large variety of file types--it supports over 200 file formats. With this program installed, you can open e-mail, right-click the attachment, and access Quick View from the shortcut menu. It saves time converting files; even if you don't have the application installed, you'll be able to view a variety of file types. You can download Quick View Plus 6 from Jasc Software's Web site for $49. http://www.jasc.com/
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Recently, we talked about the advantages of using Word as your e-mail editor. Here's another advantage that your users might like: With Outlook 2000 and Word 2000, you can format your e-mails with a theme. A theme is similar to Outlook's stationery; it defines a background color or graphics, formatting for hyperlinks, a graphic for horizontal lines, and graphic bullets. When composing a message in Word, you can select a new theme by choosing Format | Theme. If you find you prefer a particular theme, you can set it to be your default.
Follow these steps:
1. Select Tools | Options from within an open message.
2 . Select the General tab.
3. Click E-mail Options.
4. Select the Personal Stationery tab.
5. Click Theme.
6. Choose a default theme. You can also alter the font styles if you wish.
7. Click OK to close all dialog boxes.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
AUTOTEXT: IT COMPLETES YOUR THOUGHTS
Another benefit of using Word as your e-mail editor is the availability of the AutoText function. AutoText lets you specify words and phrases that can be automatically completed after you type the first few letters--press the [F3], [Tab], or [Enter] key to automatically complete the word. Built-in AutoText entries include days, months, and common typos. If you want to add a word to the AutoText list to take advantage of this feature, select a word and then press [Alt][F3]. The Create AutoText dialog box will pop up; name your new entry and click OK. To add an entry, you can also choose Insert | AutoText | AutoText. In the AutoCorrect dialog box, select the AutoText tab. Enter your new entry, click Add, and click OK. If for some reason Word makes a change that you don't want, press [Ctrl]Z to undo the change. To remove an entry permanently, open the AutoCorrect dialog box, find the entry, click Delete, and click OK.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Is Outlook's task assignment your favorite feature? Do you frequently use Outlook to keep track of task management? If you like using Outlook to help organize task management but find that you could use a little extra help, you should look into Microsoft's Team Manager. Team Manager gives you the ability to delegate tasks to a team and to monitor the team's work. Team Manager integrates nicely with Outlook 97. Each team member's workload, tasks, and progress are consolidated into one team file, so you're always up-to-date. It synchronizes task lists when you open or close the application. Team Manager is a great way to help you save time and keep track of your team--and not give up your task assignments. http://www.microsoft.com/office/teammanager/
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
MERGE DATA INTO YOUR CONTACTS FOLDER, PART 1
You can create Outlook contact items from an existing Word mail merge data file of names and addresses. The data file must be in the comma- delimited format. If the data file is a comma-delimited text file, you can directly import it into Outlook. Follow these steps:
1. In Outlook, select File | Import And Export.
2. Select Import From Another Program Or File and click Next.
3. Choose Comma Separated Values (Windows) and click Next.
4. Type the file's path or browse to its location. Click Next.
5. In the Select Destination Folder area, choose the Contacts folder and click Next.
6. Select Import "<filename>" Into The "<folder name>" Folder.
7. Click Map Custom Fields. Drag and drop the field names in the From window into the appropriate fields in the To window.
8. Click OK and click Finish. If the Word file is in the form of a Word table, you must first convert the table into the comma-delimited format.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
MERGE DATA INTO YOUR CONTACTS FOLDER, PART 2
Last time, we told you how to import a mail merge data file of names and addresses from Word into your Outlook Contacts folder. But, before importing it, the file must first be in a comma-delimited text format. What if your file of names and addresses is in a table format?
Don't worry--it's an easy fix. Follow these steps:
1. Open the mail merge data file in Word.
2. Choose Table | Select | Table.
3. Click Table | Convert | Table To Text.
4. In the resulting dialog box, select Commas and click OK.
5. When you save the file, select Text Only With Line Breaks from the Save As Type drop-down list.
Now you're ready to proceed with the importing process.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
A BETTER VIEW: MAKE YOUR CALENDAR NOTES VISIBLE
We all know how helpful our Outlook Calendars can be with meeting reminders and easy tracking of appointments. But what about all those little notes you jot down in the appointment form? When you go to your Calendar in Outlook, it shows only the bare basics--and your notes are nowhere in sight. By default, none of the Calendar views in Outlook (Day, Week, Work Week, or Month) display any information that you've included in the Notes section of the appointment or event. To make the notes information visible, you must turn on AutoPreview. Choose View | Current View | Day/Week/Month View With AutoPreview. Now, when you move your cursor over an appointment or event, Outlook will display the notes for that Calendar entry.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
SENDING CALENDAR ITEMS TO OTHERS
If your users need to keep others apprised of their schedules, they can include Calendar items in an e-mail message.
Follow these steps:
1. In the Calendar folder, select one or more Calendar items that you want to send.
2. Choose Actions | Forward As iCalendar.
3. Put the address of the recipient in the To field and click Send.
When recipients receive the messages, they'll see the icons representing your Calendar items as attachments. They can drag the icons into their Calendar folders to see them in their own calendars. An advantage to sending appointments this way is that they can be read by all e-mail programs that are compatible with the iCalendar and vCalendar formats, not just Outlook.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
WOULD THE REAL OWNER OF THE TASK PLEASE STAND UP?
If your users like to take advantage of Outlook's task feature, here are some helpful tips about task ownership to pass on. Every task has an owner. Only the person who owns the task can change information about the task. Initially, a task is owned by the person who creates it. However, if Outlook is in Internet Only mode, and the computer you're working on has several Windows profiles, the name that appears in the Owner box is the name of the last person who used Outlook to send an e-mail message. So, if a name other than yours appears in the Owner box, cancel the task, send an e-mail to yourself, and then recreate the task. If you assign the task to someone else and it's accepted, Outlook will automatically change ownership of the task to that person. After that, you can't make changes to the task because you're no longer the owner.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Although your users may be familiar with Outlook's Tasks folder, they may not be taking full advantage of this feature. While the default information is usually sufficient for a task, they can also enter helpful information on the task form's Details tab. Introduce your users to the Details tab, and they can become even more productive. Here's some of the information they can keep track of.
* Date Completed--This box's default is None. But when the task is completed, open the drop-down calendar and select the completion date. When you do so, Outlook automatically sets the Status box on the Task tab to Completed and the % Complete box to 100%.
* Total Work--Use this box to estimate the total amount of time required to complete the task.
* Actual Work--Keep track of the time actually spent on the task. Over time, you can use these two boxes as a resource for comparison.
* Mileage--This box keeps track of the number of miles traveled in connection with the task. This can be very helpful for those who are reimbursed for travel costs.
* Billing Information--Use this box for any information related to billing, such as the hourly rate to be charged.
* Companies--Enter the names of organizations associated with the task, such as the name of the client for whom the task is being performed.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
SEND A TASK REQUEST TO A GROUP
Here's another tip about Outlook's task feature to pass on to your users. If they want to send a task request to a group of people, they could create identical requests for each person. But that's not very efficient. A better way is to create a task and save the task as an Outlook template. To do so, simply create the task request and save it. In the Save As dialog box, choose Outlook Template (*.oft) from the Save As Type drop- down list. Having created the template, your users can now easily create identical tasks to send to several people. Or, they can create a distribution list and send the task to the list. Keep in mind that if a task is sent to more than one person, Outlook cannot update you with each person's progress.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Microsoft Outlook 2000 is now available free to all Exchange Server 4.x and 5.x customers in the U.S. and Canada. Shipping and handling charges of $9.95 U.S. or $14.95 Canadian apply. You may install Outlook 2000 on any device that's covered by an Exchange Server 4.x or 5.x Client Access License (CAL). You can upgrade from Outlook 97 or Outlook 98 without paying a CAL upgrade fee. If you have Microsoft Office or Outlook but don't have Exchange Server CALs, you're not eligible for this free upgrade. You can order a CD directly from Microsoft's Web site. You'll need your original product identification number. Online orders will be confirmed by e-mail. Allow two to four weeks for delivery. http://www.microsoft.com/exchange/outlook/OrderOutlook.htm
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
IS YOUR BOSS KEEPING AN EYE ON YOU?
When you send e-mail to another Outlook user, you can have a return message sent back to you after the message is opened. What a great way to check up on people, right? "Oh, I didn't get the message." "Why, yes you did; in fact, I know you received it on June 26 at 3:32 P.M. and opened it on June 26 at 4:21." To have Outlook notify you when someone reads a message that you've sent, simply choose Tools | Options. Select the Preferences tab and click E-mail Options. Click Tracking Options and select the Request A Read Receipt For All Messages I Send check box. Now for the real tip: If you'd like to see if someone is using that same option for messages they send to you, here's how.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF MISSING MESSAGES
When using the Outlook Today feature, it's still possible to move items from other folders into the Outlook Today window, where they then seem to disappear. Because Microsoft Outlook 2000 replaces the root folder of the default messaging store with the Outlook Today feature, you can't see any items that you place in the folder. In order to correct the problem, you have to turn off the Outlook Today feature.
Follow these steps:
1. Turn on the Folder List (click View | Folder List).
2. In the Folder List, right-click the Outlook Today folder and select Properties from the Shortcut menu.
3. In the Properties dialog box, click the Home Page tab.
4. Deselect the Show Home Page By Default For This Folder check box and click OK.
After you turn off the Outlook Today feature, the missing items that were moved will become visible--and you can move them to another folder so they'll stay that way. After moving all items to a different folder, you can repeat the steps above to turn the Outlook Today feature back on. This time, make sure the Show Home Page By Default For This Folder check box is selected.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
USE MACROS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE, PART 1
Many people use macros to customize and enhance their experience with Microsoft Word or Excel products, but not as many realize they can do the same with Outlook. The catch? Outlook doesn't allow you to simply record keystrokes to create macros--you have to write some VBA code to conduct your desired tasks. It's a little harder, but it's also very powerful. In this three-part series, we'll walk you through the basics. To begin creating macros, select Tools | Macro | Macros and type a name for your new macro in the dialog box. Click Create to launch the Visual Basic Editor and start adding code. The first thing you'll notice is that the Visual Basic Editor has started the macro for you by adding the code Sub MyFirstMacro() (where "MyFirstMacro" is whatever you named it) and End Sub. These lines are the starting and ending points in a VBA procedure. You'll add all your code for the macro between these lines. Next time we'll introduce you to the Outlook object model--the building block of creating Outlook macros and applications.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
USE MACROS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE, PART 2
In this three-part series, we're walking you through the basics of creating macros to use in Outlook. Remember that you can't actually create macros in Outlook; you have to do so from the Visual Basic Editor. The Outlook object model is the building block of creating Outlook macros and applications. You've probably seen the object model depicted as a confusing hierarchy that doesn't make much sense to someone unfamiliar with VBA. But don't worry: We're going to explore the model in a different way to help you make better sense of it. First of all, an object is an item. An e-mail message is an object. Appointments on the Calendar or entries in the Contacts folder are objects. A folder is an object, which can itself contain other objects. The Outlook object model is, fundamentally, just the collection of all the objects that can be used for programming and customizing Outlook. Objects can have properties, and they can have methods. A property is a characteristic of the object, such as the subject line of an e-mail message or the start time of an appointment. A method is something you can do with that object, such as send an e-mail message. (For example, item.send uses the "send" method of the mail item object.) Here's a real-world analogy to help you understand this fundamental concept: If you think of your dog as an object, then his color is a property of the dog object (a characteristic), and barking is a method of the dog object (something the dog can do).
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
USE MACROS TO CUSTOMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCE, PART 3
In this three-part series, we're walking you through the basics of creating macros to use in Outlook. Remember that you can't actually create macros in Outlook; you have to do so from the Visual Basic Editor. From our last tip, we know that an item is an object, properties are characteristics of objects, and methods are actions the object can do. We can use this information to begin constructing simple macros. To get back to the Visual Basic Editor, select Tools | Macro | Macros in Outlook, type a name (such as "MyFirstMacro") in the Macro Name text box, and click Create. As we mentioned in part 1, the VBA Editor starts your macro for you by providing the Sub and End Sub lines. Ready to try it out? Between those lines, type the following: Set MyTestItem = ThisOutlookSession.CreateItem(olMailItem) MyTestItem.Subject = "Hey, neat!" MyTestItem.Display One thing you'll notice is that when you begin to type CreateItem in the first line, the VBA Editor will pop up options to help you. This AutoComplete capability can significantly speed up your coding and improve it by reducing typographical errors. With the code you just entered, the first line created a new Outlook mail item, which you called MyTestItem as an object name. The second line set the Subject property of the MyTestItem object to be "Hey, neat!," and the third line used the Display method of the object to display it on the screen, as if you were editing it all along. To see it work, save the macro and exit the editor. In Outlook, select Tools | Macro | Macros. Click the name of your new macro and click Run. Congratulations, you've just created your first macro! Experiment with the possibilities, and you'll find many ways to automate repetitive work for both you and your users.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
WHY THE PERSONAL TOUCH ISN'T ALWAYS BETTER
There's a great temptation among users, and to a lesser degree Exchange administrators, to store a user's mail in a personal folder file (.pst) on the local hard drive--attorneys think it will be safer and more secure, and users feel more comfortable with their messages and appointments close at hand. However, there are several good reasons not to do this.
Here are some of them:
* SINGLE-INSTANCE STORAGE: When two or more users on an Exchange Server receive the same message (i.e., they were both specified as recipients), only one copy of the message exists in the database, and both mailboxes simply contain pointers to it. But if you set the delivery location to a personal folder, a separate item has to be delivered to each personal folder. If the item is large, especially if it includes an attachment, this can have a considerable storage cost.
* RELIABILITY: .pst files are limited to 2 GB in size. As they approach the maximum size, they tend to become quite unreliable. Exchange Server mailboxes have no default limit, and the Enterprise version of Exchange Server is limited only by disk space in how much information it can store.
* BACKUPS: An Exchange Server is easily (and hopefully often) backed up. But few administrators back up the local drives of their workstations on a regular basis. Using .pst files on local hard drives that don't get backed up is a formula for disaster when (not if) a local hard drive crashes.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
WHERE'S THE MICROSOFT MAIL SERVICE?
If you've tried to install the Microsoft Mail service for Outlook 2000, you were probably puzzled to find that it's not listed in the Inbox Setup Wizard. That's by design--Microsoft feared it would confuse users to have Microsoft Mail and the other, more common, mail services listed. You can still install the Microsoft Mail service, but you have to do it manually. Select Tools | Services and click Add. Choose Microsoft Mail from the list box. If you're creating a new profile and want Microsoft Mail to be available, you'll need to click the Manually Configure Information Services radio button and select the information services manually rather than using the wizard to create the profile.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T TAKE SHORTCUTS
If your users have tried to create a shortcut on their Windows 2000 active desktop to a Microsoft Outlook folder, they may have been stymied by an error message like this one: Internet Explorer doesn't support synchronizing this type of URL. This is a known issue with Outlook 2000 and Windows 2000. Here's the workaround: Minimize Outlook so you can see the desktop behind it. Either from the Outlook Bar or the Folder List, use the right mouse button to drag-and-drop the desired folder onto the desktop. When the shortcut menu appears, select Copy Here rather than Create Active Desktop Shortcut Here.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
DISABLE AUTOARCHIVING AND .PST FILES
If you like to lock down your environment extra tight, you can choose to disable personal folder files and AutoArchiving entirely. To do so, you'll need to edit the registry on the client machine--so be sure you have a good backup in case something goes wrong.
Follow these steps:
1. Open the Registry Editor.
2. Find the following key: For Outlook 2000: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Outlook\ For Outlook 98: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Office\8.0\Outlook\
3. Add a REG_DWORD key, name it DisablePst, and give it a value of 1. This will disable personal folder files, AutoArchiving, and the ability to import from or export to .pst files. NOTE: Please remember that editing your registry can be risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before you begin.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Traditionally if an offline folder file (.ost) got damaged, conventional wisdom was to just delete it and let it be re-created the next time you connected to and synchronized with your Exchange Server. This is generally sound advice, but under certain circumstances--such as when data in the offline folder hasn't been synchronized or if you connect over a very slow link--this isn't a very desirable fix. Microsoft has released the OST Integrity Check Tool, which will analyze your .ost file and compare it to your Exchange mailbox, while attempting to fix any errors and get the two files back into synchronization. You can download this utility for Outlook 2000 from Microsoft's site; the filename is Scanost.exe. http://officeupdate.microsoft.com/2000/downloadDetails/Scanost.htm
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
If you've created custom forms for your users, you undoubtedly understand the importance of efficient data entry. One of the biggest complaints users tend to make in this area is that the form doesn't follow a natural progression from field to field. Fortunately for your users, you can control the order in which the fields will accept data when the user presses the [Tab] key. Open the form in the form editor (choose Tools | Forms | Design a Form) and select Layout | Tab Order. In the Tab Order dialog box, you can specify the first field the cursor will be in and the order of fields it will follow after the user enters the data and presses [Tab]. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to play around with your order until it's logical--and don't forget to save your changes!
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
An often overlooked and underappreciated feature of Outlook is the message flag. Besides the generic Follow Up choice, both senders and recipients can also use the other options to great effect. Here are a couple of examples. WHAT TIME SHOULD I CALL? You've received a message from a user asking you for information, and you want to remind yourself to call the user the following day. You could create a new task item for it. It would be easier, however, to right-click the message the user sent you and select Flag For Follow Up from the shortcut menu. When the dialog box pops up, change the Flag To field from Follow Up to Call. Set the Due By date and time to be when you need to be reminded. If this is your root Inbox, a reminder will pop up at the designated time and date reminding you to call. RSVP You're sending a message to a subordinate who also uses Outlook, and you want him to reply by the end of the day. When composing the message, click the red flag button on the toolbar and change the Flag To field to Reply and specify the date and time. This will add a flag to tell your user that you want him to reply today. (And if he leaves it in his Inbox, it will also pop up a reminder to him at the designated time.) But don't be limited by the default Flag To options. If none of the default choices fit what you want, you can type your own action in the Flag To box. When the flagged action is completed, you can clear the flag or mark it complete by right-clicking the flagged message and choosing Flag Complete.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
If you create customized forms for your users, you may also want to create customized toolbars that have specific commands. Instead of opening each toolbar manually to find that one option, you can design it so your users only have one toolbar to open.
Follow these steps:
1. In the form, select View | Toolbars | Customize.
2. On the Toolbars tab, click New.
3. Name the new toolbar and click OK.
4. On the Commands tab, choose commands from the different categories to place on the toolbar. Drag and drop the commands from the dialog box to the new toolbar.
5. Click Close. Now your users can have all the commands they need for the form in one toolbar.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
DO YOU WANT TO SEE WHAT'S GOING ON?
Outlook automatically resizes columns to fit all of a table's information into one view. Unfortunately, this resizing can make the information inside the fields impossible to read. If you don't want your columns resized but would rather use a horizontal scrollbar to view all the fields, it's an easy fix.
Follow these steps:
1. Select View | Current View | Customize Current View.
2. In the View Summary dialog box, click Other Settings.
3. In the Other Settings dialog box, deselect the Automatic Column Sizing check box.
4. Click OK to exit all dialog boxes. Conversely, if you want to see all the fields in a particular table, use the same procedure to turn on Automatic Column Sizing. You can also hold the mouse over an item to see the entire text when it's been cut off.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
HELP EXCHANGE USERS WHO DON'T USE OUTLOOK
Just because you're taking advantage of the power of Microsoft Office doesn't mean everyone else is. If you plan to share the information in your personal folders or create new folders with information that needs to be viewed by Microsoft Exchange clients, you can set Outlook to generate two sets of files. One set retains fields for all the new features in Outlook, and the other is compatible with the Exchange client.
Follow these steps:
1. Right-click the banner menu (the horizontal area right below the toolbar containing the name of the current folder, such as Inbox).
2. Select Properties from the shortcut menu.
3. On the General tab of the Properties dialog box, make sure the Automatically Generate Microsoft Exchange Views check box is selected.
4. Click OK.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Outlook's Inbox and Tasks folders let you easily sort items by clicking column headings, but there are other tricks you can try to make your sorting more effective.
Here are some tips:
* In the column headings, an arrow shows you which column the listing is sorted by and in which direction. If the arrow points up, the list is sorted in ascending order; if it points down, the list is in descending order.
* You can base your sort on more than one column. Click the first column that you want to sort the list by. Click a second time if you want to reverse the sort order. Then hold down the [Shift] key and click the column that you want to use to break any ties that occur in the first sorted column. To reverse the order of the second sort column, continue to hold down the [Shift] key and click the second column again.
* If you don't like the order in which the columns appear in a Tasks or Inbox folder, you can easily move the columns around. Just position the mouse pointer over the column heading, and then drag it to the right or left until red arrows show where the column heading will be dropped when you release the button.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Microsoft Outlook supports ActiveX controls in custom forms. This means that you can take advantage of third-party controls in your Outlook applications. To insert an ActiveX control on your Outlook form, open an Outlook form in design mode and select Form | Control Toolbox. Right-click in the Toolbox dialog box and select Custom Controls. In the Additional Controls dialog box, select the ActiveX control you want to add to the toolbox and click OK. Drag and drop the new control to your form. The ActiveX control will appear on your form.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
When you first start creating Outlook VBA macros, there's a host of terminology that can confuse and discourage you. Let's take a look at a couple of the important terms in an effort to ease your way into the programming world. * COLLABORATION DATA OBJECTS (CDO): This is a set of object libraries that you can use when working with a message store (think Exchange Server) in order to automate many messaging processes. CDO has had many names during the course of Exchange Server's development--it was first known as OLE Messaging, then briefly as Active Messaging. * CONTROLS: A control is any object on a form that the user interacts with. Buttons, check boxes, text boxes, drop-down lists, and so forth-- these are all controls. You add controls to forms to build the interface for your users. In addition to text boxes that allow you to enter data, you can add buttons and write code that will run if the button is clicked.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
There may be an occasion when you need to rename one or more of the basic folders of Outlook (i.e., Inbox, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, Journal, Drafts, Outbox, Sent Items, or Deleted Items). You may need either to return the name to the default or to change it to another custom name. While it's generally not recommended to change the names of these folders--and this recommendation is reflected in the fact that you can't easily do it from within Outlook--it can be done from the basic Exchange client software. To do so, exit Outlook and click Start | Run | EXCHNG32.EXE to start the basic Exchange client. Once it starts, you can select the folders you want to rename, right-click them, and select Rename. After you exit the Exchange 32 client and log back on to Outlook, you'll notice that the folder names have been changed. Note that the folder names and the shortcut names on the Outlook Bar are independent of each other--don't let the names on the Outlook Bar fool you into thinking the underlying folder names haven't changed. Viewing the Folder List will show that they have.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
Many administrators were excited about the new resource scheduling features touted in Outlook 2000. Previous versions of Outlook and Exchange required either server-side scripting or a dedicated workstation logged on as the resource in order to allow users to automatically reserve resources such as conference rooms. Outlook 2000 promised to change all that. But after creating the dedicated mailboxes for the conference rooms, logging on with the profiles, enabling the automatic acceptance of meeting requests, and assigning sufficient permissions to their users, many administrators found that meeting requests were still sitting in the Inboxes of those folders unanswered and unaccepted. Here's the catch: You have to invite the conference room to the meeting--not as an attendee (the default) but as a resource. You can do so by clicking Invite Others on the Attendee Availability tab of the appointment and adding the conference room as a resource. After sending your meeting invitation, you'll receive almost immediate feedback as to whether your request was accepted or declined.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
ATTACHMENT AND TEXT ENCODING, PART 1
If you're sending messages as anything other than plain text, your message is being encoded into a format that can be easily transmitted and received across the Internet. By default, Outlook uses MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) as the encoding format for the text, although you can configure it to use UUencode (UNIX-to-UNIX Encoding) if your recipient is having difficulty decoding MIME. If you're sending through an Exchange server, the server sets the default encoding method. But if you know your recipient requires a certain kind of encoding, you can change specific messages to a different encoding format. To do so, start your message, click File | Properties in Outlook, and select the Internet E-mail tab. You can choose to override the default and set the kind of encoding that you want for that specific message. If you select MIME, you also have the option of specifying the encoding options. The default of None sends the text in a fixed, 76-character line. Quoted Printable does away with the line breaks entirely and relies on the recipient's mail reader to insert them as needed. Base64 is a third option that reduces the 8-bit data into a 7-bit format. If all else fails and recipients are still not properly seeing your messages, you can try this one, but it's increasingly rare.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
ATTACHMENT AND TEXT ENCODING, PART 2
Last time we talked about text encoding, so today let's talk about attachment encoding. For attachments, there are primarily three kinds of encoding: MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions), UUencode (UNIX-to-UNIX Encoding), and BinHex. MIME is the default for Outlook and Exchange, and it's rapidly becoming the industry standard. UUencode is a traditional encoding method often used by older mail clients and Macintosh clients. BinHex is mostly just used by Macintosh clients. MIME encoding includes the Content-Type header, which can be utilized by Exchange Server to make processing of attachments easier. Exchange can be configured to change the file extension of incoming attachments based on the MIME Content-Type header. For example, if the incoming message has an attached file named Jones.ltr and a content type of text/plain, Exchange can change the file extension to .txt. Then the recipient can easily open the file by double-clicking it. Nonstandard file extensions are one of the most pervasive problems in sharing file attachments. UUencode is rather barebones--no Content-Type header for example--but it's widely supported and a safe choice if you're not sure what kind of encoding your recipients support. And since it's a Mac format, BinHex is an obvious choice if you're communicating with Mac users.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000
SPEED UP OUTLOOK FOR REMOTE USERS
If you've been getting complaints from remote users that Outlook is extraordinarily slow to start, one reason for this sluggishness may be because the Calendar Caching feature is enabled and active. There are two ways to turn it off--the easiest way is to disable offline folders.
To disable offline folders, follow these steps:
1. In Outlook, go to Tools | Services | Microsoft Exchange Server.
2. Select Properties and click the Advanced tab.
3. Click Offline Folder File Settings.
4. Click Disable Offline Use and affirm the warning.
A common mistake when disabling offline folder use is that people will simply deselect the Enable Offline Use check box and think the job is done. Go through the process above to make certain that offline use is truly disabled. The second solution is to edit the registry on the machine.
Follow these steps to edit the registry:
1. Open the Registry Editor.
2. Find the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Outlook\
3. Add a new key named OST (if it doesn't already exist).
4. Within the new key, add a new DWORD value and name it NoOST.
Give it a value of 1 if you want to enable calendar caching but disable offline use. If you want to disable the entire offline store including calendar caching, give it a value of 2.
NOTE: Please remember that editing your registry can be risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before you begin.
Technical Tips © KRMS Productions 2000