Microsoft Outlook Tips #11



*1. TRASH TRICK

By default, deleting an Outlook 98 e-mail message moves it to 
the Deleted Items folder, where it stays until you manually 
empty this folder. However, if you don't feel the need for this 
safety net, you can instruct Outlook to empty it for you 
whenever you exit the program. 

Select Tools, Options and click the Other tab. Select the Empty 
Deleted Items folder upon exiting, then click OK. From now on, 
exiting Outlook wipes that folder clean (so be sure you've 
retrieved everything you need before you end a work session).


*2. MEET THE MAIL SORTER

Do you store all messages from a certain recipient in a folder 
other than Inbox? Rather than moving them there individually, 
ask Outlook to do so for you. 

>From inside your Inbox folder, select Tools, Organize. Now 
just fill in the Create A Rule Line to match what you want to 
do. When you're finished, this line might read something like, 
"Move new messages from joe@something.com into Messages From 
Joe." To set this rule into motion, just click Create, then 
click the X in the upper-right corner of the Organize box to 
close it. 

Can't figure out why you aren't getting any messages from Joe 
anymore? You are--they just never make it to your Inbox. To 
check for messages from Joe, you'll need to look inside the 
Messages From Joe folder.


*3. THOSE LITTLE YELLOW STICKIES ARE EVERYWHERE

In previous tips, we've discussed Outlook's Notes folder, where 
you can create and store as many sticky notes as you want. But 
the Notes folder isn't the only place for notes. You can stick 
a note on any message folder. 

-From inside the folder in which you'd like to place a note, 
press Ctrl-Shift-S (or select File, New, Post In This Folder). 
Type a subject and the body of the note, then click Post (or 
press Ctrl-Enter). Your note now appears as an item in the 
message list, complete with a yellow sticky note icon.


*4. THIS WINDOW'S BIG ENOUGH FOR BOTH OF US

Did you know that Outlook 98 offers an Open In New Window 
command, just like your favorite browser? That means you can 
view the contents of more than one folder--for example, Inbox 
and Calendar--on the screen at the same time. 

Switch to the first folder you want to open; then, using the 
Outlook Bar or the folder list, right-mouse click the second 
folder you want to open and select Open In New Window. (Note: 
You have to stick the folder list to the screen in order to 
access its right-click commands.) Repeat these steps for each 
folder you want to open, then size or move the open windows as 
necessary to view their contents. (Tip: Right-click the task 
bar and select one of the window arranging options.)


*5. SECOND SHIFT

Do you work longer (or different) hours than the traditional 
nine-to-five workday? Then you'll want to change Calendar's 
color coding to match. By default, only the area between 8 a.m. 
and 5 p.m Monday through Friday appears white (to indicate work 
hours), while the rest is gray. Change these settings to 
reflect your schedule, so you don't feel like you're working 
when you shouldn't be! 

Select Tools, Options, and click the Calendar Options button. 
Under Calendar Work Week, select only the days that you work. 
Then adjust the Start Time and/or End Time to match your 
typical workday. Click OK twice. Back on your Calendar, you'll 
see your days colored accordingly.


*6. THE CONNECTION YOU HAVE REACHED HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED

Want to stay online after a Send And Receive operation? (By 
default, when you click Send and Receive, Outlook connects you 
to the Internet, checks your mail, and then disconnects you.) 
You can prevent Outlook from hanging up on you with one simple 
setting change. Select Tools, Options, and click the Mail 
Delivery tab. Deselect Hang Up When Finished Sending, Receiving 
Or Updating, then click OK. From now on, once you're online, 
you'll stay online (unless you disconnect manually).


*7. ATTACHING A NOTE TO A MESSAGE

Just type a masterpiece you'd like to share with someone else? 
You have two options: Either copy and paste its text into an 
e-mail message, or (the much more efficient way) forward the 
note as a message attachment. 

In the Notes folder, right-click the note you want to forward 
and select Forward. Immediately, a new message window appears 
with the note attached. Complete the message as you would any 
other, then click Send. 

In case you aren't familiar with notes, here are the steps for 
creating one: Select File, New Note; type the text of your 
note; and click the X in the note's upper-right corner. The 
note takes its place alongside any others in the Notes folder.


*8. TURNING YOUR NOTE INTO A DOCUMENT

In our previous tip, we showed you how to forward a note as a 
message attachment: In the Notes folder, right-click the note 
you want to forward, select Forward, complete the message as 
you would any other, then click Send. 

Just as you might deem a note important enough to send to 
someone in an e-mail, you might decide that a note should 
become its very own document (for example, if the "notes" you 
were taking for a report suddenly look pretty close to the 
final version!). 

In the Notes folder, select the note you want to save as a file 
and choose File, Save As. Navigate to the desired location, 
type a name for the file, choose a file type (for example, Rich 
Text Format saves it as a Word file), and then click Save. You 
can open and edit the note--now a document--in your 
word processor. 

In case you aren't familiar with notes, here are the steps for 
creating one: Select File, New Note; type the text of your 
note; and click the X in the note's upper-right corner. The 
note takes its place alongside any others in the Notes folder.


*9. COLOR-CODE NOTES

Do you create some notes for work, some for family, and some 
for no one but yourself? If you're looking for an easy way to 
tell one type from the next, try color-coding. Outlook allows 
you to create notes in five--count 'em, five--different colors. 

To change the color of a note that's currently open, click the 
icon in its upper-left corner, select Color, and choose a color 
from the list. If the note is closed, right-click it (in the 
Notes folder), and you'll see the Color command in the 
resulting menu. 

In case you aren't familiar with notes, here are the steps for 
creating one: Select File, New Note; type the text of your 
note; and click the X in the note's upper-right corner. The 
note takes its place alongside any others in the Notes folder.


*10. SEPARATE NOTES INTO CATEGORIES               
      
In our previous tip, we showed you how to color-code notes to 
make it easy to distinguish one type from the next (for 
example, work from personal): Right-click a note, select Color, 
and choose from one of five available colors. Do you have more 
than five different categories of notes--for example, one for 
each of eight ongoing projects? Then divide your notes by--you 
guessed it--categories. 

Right-click any note and select Categories. (If the note is 
open, click the icon in its upper-left corner and select 
Categories.) Under Available Categories, click the check box 
next to as many applicable categories as you want, then click 
OK. Repeat these steps for any other notes you want to 
categorize. (Tip: To save time, apply categories to more than 
one note at a time. Hold down Ctrl as you click each note, 
right-click the selection, select Categories, and so on.) 

What's the point of all this categorizing if you can't see it 
anywhere? In our next tip, viewing your notes by category (or 
color)... 

In case you aren't familiar with notes, here are the steps for 
creating one: Select File, New Note; type the text of your 
note; and click the X in the note's upper-right corner. The 
note takes its place alongside any others in the Notes folder.
