AutoPreview.
Autopreview is the
feature that, when
turned on, shows the
first three lines in
a smaller, colored
font, of an email in
preview under the
message header.
With autopreview
turned on, you can
usually get a quick
idea what an email
is all about without
having to open and
read it all.
Turn autopreview
on/off by clicking
its menu option on
the View menu, or
toggle it on/off
with the autopreview
icon on the Advanced
tool bar:
Note
that autopreview can
also be turned on in
task view.
The Reading Pane.
The
reading pane is the
pane located (in a
default
installation) below
the Inbox or other
mail folder header
listing. As
you click on each
header, the contents
will open in the
reading pane.
If you choose to
have the reading
pane on, you should
probably not have
autopreview turned
on also, because you
will not have much
screen room to see
both.
Turn
on/off the reading
pane using the View
menu. Note
that you can also
place it on the
right of the header
list. You can
also turn it on/off
using the following
icon on the advanced
tool bar:
Setting up
Outlook Today
Most people keep
Outlook open to
their inbox, and
do not realize
that they could
see a summary of
their calendar
for the next 7
(or 5) days, a
task list, and
how many unread
emails they have
in designated
mailboxes.
Outlook Today is
a wonderful
opening look for
Outlook which
contains all
these features.
Go to Outlook
Today by
clicking your
upper-level
mailbox (the
Navigation pane
must be turned
on first).
To customize it,
click the link
at the top of
the screen
"Customize
Outlook
Today..."
Part of the
customization
process will
involve
selecting
Outlook Today as
the opening view
for Outlook.
Once you have
made your
customizations,
be sure to click
the link to
"Save Changes"
before returning
to some other
Outlook view.
The Outbox.
Normally, when you
are connected to the
Exchange server and
you have configured
Outlook to send mail
immediately (see the
setup page) you
will never use the
Outbox. If
your client loses
connection with the
Exchange server, or
you are working
offline, mail you
send will be stored
in the Outbox and
will be sent when
you make connections
with the Exchange
server once again.
Deleted Items.
We
recommend that you
NOT configure
Outlook to delete
items when closing
the program, but
rather delete items
from the Deleted
Items folder by
right-clicking it
and choosing "Empty
Deleted Items
Folder."
Otherwise, you may
inadvertently send
things to the
deleted items folder
and lose them for
good.
Junk E-Mail Folder.
Follow the same
procedure for the
Junk E-mail folder.
Examine its contents
before clearing it,
and if it all looks
good to go,
right-click the
folder and choose
"Empty Junk E-mail
Folder."
Sorting by column.
When
you have a group of
emails in a mail
folder, you can sort
them ascending or
descending by
clicking the button
at the top of the
item columns.
Mark email as
Read/Unread
Outlook by default
formats the message
header of unread
email in boldface.
If you open an
email, the header
loses this bold
formatting.
The bold formatting
can be a very useful
indicator that
action is needed on
a certain email.
To re-format it
bold, right click
the message header
in the mail list and
choose "Mark as
unread" from the
context sensitive
menu that pops up.
Note
that "Mark as read"
can also be
controlled through
the same menu.
Flagging for
Follow-up
One
of the powerful
tools of Outlook is
the ability to flag
emails for
follow-up. To
do so, right-click
the mail headline,
move the cursor to
Follow-up, and then
either assign a
colored flag to the
email or choose "Add
Reminder." You
can add a date/time
reminder in this
manner. All
such flagged emails,
regardless of where
else you have filed
them, will appear in
the "For Follow Up"
Search folder.
In this way, you can
keep easy tabs on
the items you wish
to follow up.
It is also advisable
that you devise a
color code that is
meaningful to you to
help you
distinguished one
class of flagged
items from another.
Flagging mail you
send
You
can flag outgoing
email by clicking
the flag button at
the top of the mail
form (
) and choosing the
action you wish to
occur. You can
include due-date
reminders along with
the letter.
Using Favorite
Folders
Move
any folder you find
particularly useful
to the Mail Favorite
folders area (at the
top of the mail
navigation pane) by
simply
right-clicking it
and choosing "Add to
Favorites."
Using Search
Folders.
There
are three default
"search folders"
created when Outlook
2003 is installed:
-
Unread Mail
-
For Follow Up
-
Large Mail
The
unread mail and
follow up folders
are certainly the
most useful and
should be added to
your Mail Favorites
folders so that you
will have a quick
view of them at the
top of the
navigation pane.
You
may also find it
useful to create
custom search
folders. Do so
by choosing File >
New > Search
Folder...
You
will then define the
criteria for the
search folder and
click OK to create
it. It will be
added to the Search
folders area of the
navigation pane, and
from there, if you
wish, you can also
add it to the
Favorite Folders
area.
Microsoft
has an audio lesson
on search folders:
The easy way to
find, save and
organize your email.
Automatically file
incoming mail with
folders and rules.
When
mail arrives, it is
important to be able
to file it
automatically in
folders according to
rules that Outlook
maintains for you.
Think
what folders you
want, and then
create them in the
mail navigation
pane. Simply
right-click an
upper-level folder
and choose "New
Folder" from the
context sensitive
menu.
Once
you have your folder
created, then create
a rule that will
file the appropriate
incoming mail to
that folder.
To create a rule,
choose Tools > Rules
and Alerts... and
then walk through
the "rules wizard to
create your rule.
We will be doing
this in the
workshop.
Filing outgoing mail
in specific folders.
The
sent items folder is
a life saver.
You can search it
and find that one
email you sent that
saves your bacon.
But the sent items
folder gets really,
really big.
Wouldn't it be nice
to file only certain
emails in another
location that is
more manageable?
There is. Mail
filing rules can be
applied to mail that
you send as well as
mail that you
receive. The
procedure is
similar to the one
described above. In
class, we will
create a folder
under the sent items
folder to contain
copies of emails
sent to specific
people using the
rules wizard.
Using distribution
lists.
One
of the most powerful
features of email is
its ability to send
the same item to
multiple recipients.
To make this work,
you have to build a
distribution
list--that is, a
list containing all
the recipients.
To do so, click File
> New... >
Distribution List.
Click the "Select
members..." button
and pick the
recipients from the
address book, if
they have an account
on the Exchange
server. Use
the "Add New..."
button if the
recipient does not
have an account on
Palomar's Exchange
server.
Finally, give the
list a name and save
it. You will
find it filed
alphabetically by
name in your
contacts list.
To
avoid placing all
the names from a
distribution list
into the To: field,
place them in the
Bcc: field instead.
Distributing a
distribution list.
To
send a distribution
list to someone else
in your group or
team, attach it as
an item (click the
drop-down next to
the paper clip icon
in the mail form and
choose "item")
rather than as a
file to an email and
send it to your
colleague.
When your colleague
receives it, all
they need to do is
drag the item to
their contacts and
they will then be
able to use the same
distribution list.
Special handling for
email.
Deliver and read
receipts, voting
buttons, setting
importance and
sensitivity,
changing the reply
to address, sending
timed email, all
these special
handling options can
be set by clicking
the Options
button at the
top of the standard
email form.
Sending Attachments
(Files and Items).
Attach files to your
emails by clicking
the paper clip icon
at the top of the
mail form.
Select a contiguous
range of files by
holding down the
shift key, clicking
on the first file in
the range, and while
continuing to hold
down the shift key,
click on the last
file in the range.
To select a
non-contiguous group
of files to attach,
hold down the
control key (Ctrl)
while selecting
them.
Note:
a more efficient way
of sending a group
of files is to zip
them into a single
file before sending.
If you are a user of
Windows XP, this is
very easy to do:
select the files as
indicated above, and
then right-click the
selection and choose
Send to > compressed
(zipped) folder.
Attach this zipped
"folder" to your
email. This,
in fact, is the only
way to send an
attachment that
would otherwise be
automatically
deleted by the
Exchange server,
such as an EXE file.
If
you wish to attach
an Outlook Item
rather than a disk
file (an item like a
contact, a
distribution list,
another email, etc.)
choose the drop-down
next to the paper
clip icon and select
Item. You will
be shown a view of
your Outlook folders
from which you can
choose the item(s)
to attach.
Saving multiple
attachments.
If
someone sends you an
email with multiple
attachments, you can
save them all in one
operation by opening
the email and
choosing File > Save
Attachments... from
the mail form.
Confirm that you
want to save them
all, and you will be
asked to navigate
your file system and
pick a folder in
which to save them,
all in one command.
Removing attachments
from emails after
filing.
After
you have saved file
attachments locally,
you should remove
them from the email
before filing it
permanently.
While it is
convenient to leave
them where they are,
it wastes a lot of
disk space, because
they are being saved
on the Exchange
server, in you
offline store file,
in your archive file
(eventually) and
also on your hard
drive.
To
remove attachments
from an email,
right-click the
attachment icon and
choose "Remove."
(Note, this does not
work from the
reading pane, only
when the email has
been opened).
Recalling an email.
One
of the advantages of
using an Exchange
server is that
emails can be
recalled from
recipients, but only
before they have
been opened.
If they have already
been opened, it is
too late.
To
recall an email
after sending it,
open the email and
click the Actions >
Recall this
message... menu
choice.
Resending an email.
Often
when you send an
email to a group it
will be delivered to
all but a couple of
the addressees.
You then notice that
you made a mistake
in typing their
email addresses from
memory. Rather
than copying the
letter to a new mail
form and sending it,
you can open the
letter, click
Actions > Resend
this message...,
correct the email
address in the To
field, and send it
again.
Controlling mail
format for
individual emails.
You
can control the
format of any
particular email by
using the Actions
menu New Mail
Using... feature, or
by opening a new
email and using the
format drop down at
the top of the form
(HTML, RTF, or Plain
Text). The
Options drop-down
also give the
ability to turn on
the Bcc button and
the From button
(useful if you have
authority to send
mail on someone
else's behalf).
The Bcc button will
then appear in every
new email form you
open until you
deselect it in the
same manner.
Using Colors to code
emails.
If
you wish to use
colors to code
certain emails, do
so by select an
email from the
individual (or
group) you wish to
code, then click
Tools > Organize.
Click the "Using
Colors" tab, and
then select and
apply the color you
wish to be
associated with that
sender.
Creating an
Autoresponse email
The
Out-of-Office
assistant is an
autoresponder that
sends an email the
first time someone
contacts you after
it is turned on.
It's purpose is to
explain that you
cannot respond in
person at that time,
and many people add
helpful information
to the Out-of-Office
message.
You
can create an
Outlook template
that will do the
same thing and have
it triggered by any
word or combination
of words in the
Subject field.
An email you have
received in your
class inbox explains
how. Note that
only one email is
sent per contact.
Creating
an appointment or task from an
email.
To
create an
appointment from an
email, drag the mail
icon to the
calendar. A
calendar appointment
form will pop up.
Change the date/time
appropriately and
click Save.
Your appointment
will then contain
the text of the
email for reference.
This is especially
useful for those
reminders sent from
automated mailing
systems.
Note
also that you can
attach any file or
Outlook item to an
appointment in order
to have all the
reference materials
you need in one
place.
The
same can be done for
tasks. Simply
drag the email icon
to the task button
and the task form
will pop up.
