Microsoft Outlook Express Tips #2



*1.  THOSE MESSAGES ARE MINE, MINE, MINE!

April 20th, 1999

In a previous tip, we showed you how to add a second (or more) 
e-mail account to Outlook Express: Choose Tools + Accounts; on 
the Mail tab, click Add + Mail; follow the Internet Connection 
Wizard; then click Close. We also showed you how to check a 
single account for messages: Choose Tools + Send and Receive 
and then select the account you want to check.

But what if you want to do just the opposite: send mail using 
one particular account? (You and another family member have 
separate accounts, for example, and you don't want the other 
person's name to appear as the sender on your messages.)

Assuming an account is not set as the default:

- 1. Click the Compose Message button and complete your message
     as usual. 
- 2. When you're ready to send the message, choose File + Send
     Using + [account name]. 

Of course, if your mail account is set as the default, you 
don't have to follow these steps; you can send the message as 
usual (click the Send and Receive button or choose File + Send).


*2. MY MAILBOX IS BETTER THAN YOUR MAILBOX

April 21st, 1999

In our last tip, we pointed out that you can send an e-mail 
message using an account that isn't currently the default: 
Compose the message as usual and then choose File + Send Using +
[account name]. Which brings us to another useful tip: how to 
change the default account. 

- 1. Choose Tools + Accounts. 
- 2. On the Mail tab, select the account you want to use as
     the default. 
- 3. Click the Set as Default button. This account now says
     "mail (default)" in the Type column. 
- 4. Click OK. 

You and your other family members (or coworkers) will have to 
fight this one out!


*3. SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED

April 22nd, 1999

Do you receive messages that always have the senders' names, 
e-mail addresses, possibly some more contact information, and 
maybe even a fancy quote at the bottom of the message? Surely 
you don't think they type all this information every time they 
compose a message. On the contrary, all this text put together 
is called a "signature"--and the mail program drops it in 
automatically on every message sent. If you want, you can have 
Outlook Express "sign" every one of your messages, too. 

- 1. Choose Tools + Stationery. 
- 2. On the Mail tab, click the Signature button. 
- 3. Select the option Add This Signature to All Outgoing
     Messages. 
- 4. With Text selected, type your signature--your name, title,
     e-mail address, a quote, whatever--in the text box. 
- 5. Click OK twice. 

Now every time you open the New Message dialog box, you see 
this signature, ready to take its place at the bottom of your 
message. Compose your message as usual but forget about the 
signing part. It's already done! 

(Tip-in-a-tip: On the rare occasion where you don't want the 
signature--or part of it--in a message, just delete the 
signature or the part from the New Message dialog box.)


*4. HERE'S MY CARD

April 23rd, 1999

In our last tip, we showed you how to add a signature--name, 
e-mail address, quote, whatever--to the bottom of every 
message: Choose Tools + Stationery; on the Mail tab, click the 
Signature button; select Add This Signature to All Outgoing 
Messages; select Text and type your signature in the text box; 
then click OK twice. 

Do you want to add loads and loads of information about 
yourself to the bottom of every message? In the past, we've 
shown you how to attach your business card (based on your 
Address Book entry) to the bottom of a single message; but if 
you want, Outlook Express can add it to each and every message: 

- 1. Choose Tools + Stationery. 
- 2. On the Mail tab, click the Signature button. 
- 3. In the Card box, click the down arrow and select yourself.
     (Note: If you haven't entered yourself in your Address
     Book, go back and do that first.) 
- 4. Select Attach Card to All Outgoing Messages. 
- 5. Click OK twice. 

Including this information is like stapling your business card 
to every message! From now on, whenever you compose an outgoing 
message, you see a business card symbol below the Internet 
Explorer icon (to the right of the address fields). 

(Tip-in-a-tip: To delete the card from an outgoing message, 
right-click the business card symbol and select Delete.)


*5. LOVE ME, LOVE MY FONT

April 26th, 1999

A few tips back, we showed you how to change the font used to 
display incoming messages (assuming that the sender didn't 
compose the message using his or her own favorite font): Choose 
Tools + Options; click the Read tab; click Fonts; under 
Proportional Font, select a new font; click OK twice; then exit 
and restart Outlook Express. 

If you want to set what font is seen by the people who receive 
your messages, follow these steps: 

- 1. Choose Tools + Stationery. 
- 2. On the Mail tab, under Compose Font, click the Font
     Settings button. 
- 3. Select a font (and font style and size, if you want). 
- 4. Click OK. 

Way to be an individual! 

(Note: Outlook Express uses this font only when you compose 
HTML--as opposed to Plain Text--messages.)


*6. TAKE YOUR MESSAGES OVER THE RAINBOW

April 27th, 1999

Do you like to use a particular color for every outgoing HTML 
message? Are you tired of selecting this color by hand in the 
New Message dialog box? Here's how you can instruct Outlook 
Express to use this color for each and every message, unless 
you say otherwise: 

- 1. Choose Tools + Stationery. 
- 2. On the Mail tab, under Compose Font, click the Font
     Settings button. 
- 3. In the Font dialog box, under Color, click the down arrow
     and select any color. 
- 4. Click OK twice. 

As long as your recipients can read HTML messages (and as long 
as you send HTML messages), they'll receive your e-mails in 
full color!


*7. FLAT TO FLUFFY

April 28th, 1999

In our last two tips, we showed you how to change the default 
font and font color of all outgoing HTML messages: Choose 
Tools + Stationery, click the Font Settings button, take your 
pick of options in the Font dialog box, and click OK. 

If your mail sending format is set to HTML (on the Send tab of 
the dialog box that appears when you choose Tools + Options), 
you're all set. Any time you compose a new message, Outlook 
Express uses the new formatting default you set. BUT if your 
mail sending format is set to Plain Text, you see exactly 
that--plain text, nothing more, nothing less--when you compose 
a message. 

The big question is, what do you do if you're halfway through a 
plain text message and suddenly decide that you wanted to send 
HTML after all? Whatever you do, don't start over or go through 
the painstaking process of selecting each formatting 
option--font, size, color, and so on--one at a time. Just 
switch to HTML and then apply your defaults to the existing 
text in one fell swoop, like this: 

While still inside the New Message dialog box: 

- 1. Choose Format + Rich Text [HTML]. 
- 2. Select any existing body text. 
- 3. Click the Style Tag icon (just to the left of the Bold
     button) and select Normal. (Alternatively, choose Format
     + Style + Normal.) 

All selected text now appears in the default font, font color, 
and so on, as defined in the Font dialog box. Complete your 
message and send it off with style!


*8. FROM FLUFFY TO FLAT IN ONE QUICK CLICK

April 29th, 1999

In our last tip, we showed you how to switch from a plain text 
message to an HTML message (complete with all your custom 
formatting choices), even if you're already halfway through the 
message: In the New Message dialog box, choose Format + Rich 
Text [HTML], select any existing body text, click the Style Tag 
icon, and select Normal. 

But what if you want to go the other way--from fancy to plain? 
(Imagine you're halfway through a purple, Baskerville Old Face, 
HTML message and suddenly realize the person you're sending it 
to can only read plain text.) You can make the switch easily: 

- 1. Choose Format + Plain Text. 
- 2. Click Yes to confirm. 

Presto! Everything in the message is plain as plain can be.


*9. SPELL CHECK, PLEASE

April 30th, 1999

Several readers have asked, "I'm trying to check spelling in 
Outlook Express, but cant get it to work. Whats the deal?" 
Unfortunately, Outlook Express uses the same dictionary used by 
other Microsoft applications, like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. 
If you dont have one of these installed, youll have to use 
the old fashioned method  Websters. Right now there are no 
compatible third-party dictionaries. 

Assuming you do indeed have Microsoft Word, Excel, or 
PowerPoint installed, heres how to check spelling: 

- 1.Open a New Message Window 
- 2.Select Tools + Spelling 

(Tip-in-a-tip: To do the same thing even more quickly, press 
F7 from within a New Message Window).


*10. EVERYONE NEEDS AN EDITOR

May 3rd, 1999

Have you ever received a really funny joke via e-mail (An 
e-mail joke worth keeping? Hey, it could happen.), but didn't 
want to have to keep scrolling through 54 comments left by 
others who've been forwarded the same message? Sadly, Outlook 
Express won't let you edit messages in your inbox, forcing you 
to save the whole message in its entirety. Fortunately, there's 
a workaround--just resend it to yourself!  

- 1. Open the offending message.  
- 2. Click the Forward Message button.  
- 3. Type your own e-mail address in the To: field  
- 4. Edit away--feel free to delete text, get rid of others'
     comments, etc.  
- 5. Click Send.  
- 6. Once you receive the message (from yourself), save it in
     your folder for good jokes.  
- 7. Don't forget to delete the original message, or you'll have
     identical e-mails cluttering your inbox.  

Presto! Now you can be quick on the draw when you need a good 
riddle for your co-workers.
