If you have set up more than one e-mail account, you can choose the one from which to send your e-mail message. Follow these steps to choose an account:

• Choosing the default account: When you click the Send button in the Message window, the e-mail message is sent by way of the default e-mail account. To tell Outlook which account that is, choose Tools, E-Mail Accounts. You see the E-Mail Accounts dialog box. Select the View or Change Existing E-Mail Accounts option button and click Next. The next dialog box lists e-mail accounts that have been set up for your computer. Select an account and click the Set As Default button. All your messages will be sent from this default account unless you bypass it.
• Bypassing the default account. To bypass the default e-mail account and send a message through a different account, click the Accounts button in the Message window and choose an account name on the drop-down menu. Then click the Send button.

FILING AWAY OUTLOOK ACCOUNT INFORMATION

Set it and forget it, right? Nope. After you set up Outlook to send and receive e-mail via your ISP account, you need to record your account information. Why? In case your computer crashes and loses all that info, you'll have what you need for re-setting your account. Keep your data handy in a desk drawer or file folder (the paper kind!).

Here are the basics you need to write down:

• Your e-mail address (such as name@isp.com)
• Your password (if your ISP requires one, as it most likely does)
• Type of server your e-mail provider requires (most likely POP3)
• Name of your incoming e-mail server (ask your ISP, but often mail.ispname.com)
• Name of your outgoing e-mail server (ask your ISP, but often smtp.ispname.com)
• Name of the news server (such as news.ispname.com)

If you need help getting the information, call your ISP's tech support line for all the proper spellings of the server names and so on.

CAPTURE AN E-MAIL ADDRESS

In Outlook 2003, here's a quick way to capture an e-mail address from an incoming message: Right-click the name of the sender in the From line of the incoming message block. The From line is not a normal text box, so you may not think that right-clicking it would do anything, but it does. A shortcut menu appears. Click Add to Contacts to open the New Contact form. Type your information in the appropriate box on the New Contact Form. Click the Save and Close button. You now have the e-mail address and any other information for the new contact stored for future reference.

OUTLOOK ADDRESS BOOK OR CONTACTS?

If you faithfully enter basic contact information in your Outlook Address Book, you already have Contacts as well. Clicking on the Contacts icon on the left side of the Outlook window provides you the opportunity of inputting the same kind of information and viewing it at will, but the format of your data appears differently. You can switch back and forth between using the Address Book version and the Contacts version whenever you want. The same information appears in both views; it's a matter of which you find more pleasing. But you can only do fancy schmancy stuff like Mail Merge with the Contacts list.

VIEWING ACTIVE APPOINTMENTS

The basic Outlook Calendar views are the Daily view, the Weekly view, and the Monthly view. Other views of the Calendar, such as the Active Appointments view, are big helps when you're trying to figure out when you did something or when you will do something.

To view Active Appointments, follow these steps:

1. Choose View, Current View.

   The view menu appears.

2. Choose Active Appointments.

   You see a list of appointments yet to come.

In Active Appointments view, you can see details of appointments that you have coming up in a list that's easy to read. You can also sort the view on any column, such as Location, Subject, or Start date by clicking the column's title.

MANUALLY ACTIVATE THE OUTLOOK ARCHIVE PROCESS

You can archive messages any time you want by choosing File, Archive from the Outlook menu and following the prompts. The advantage of running the Archive process manually is that you get slightly better control of the process; and you can give Outlook a cutoff date for archiving items, say the first of the year. You can also tell Outlook which folders to archive and where to send the archived items. You can even archive different Outlook folders to different archive files.

The disadvantage to all this control is that it's possible to make an innocent mistake and send archived items to a place that you can't find again easily. Try not to change the name or location of the files to which your archived items are sent, because it's surprisingly easy to lose track of what went where, and Outlook doesn't help you keep track of archived files very easily.

CLEAN UP THE OUTLOOK BAR

At the top and bottom of the Outlook 2000 Bar, you see little gray separator bars with names such as Outlook Shortcuts, My Shortcuts, and Other Shortcuts. Click each of these separator bars and you see the column slide up or down to reveal a different group of icons representing different things that you can do with Outlook. The technical term for one of these groups is . . . group. (That's easy.)If you don't like the group that you chose, choose a different one.

If the Outlook Bar is getting a bit crowded, you can delete extra groups in a snap. Or is that a click?

To delete a group from the Outlook Bar:

1. Right-click the divider of the group that you want to delete.

   A shortcut menu appears.

2. Choose Remove Group.

   A dialog box appears, asking whether or not you're sure that you want to delete this group.

3. Click Yes.

   Your excess group is gone for good. You can't undo this one.

ADDING ICONS TO THE OUTLOOK BAR

After you get used to using Outlook, you may want to create more icons on the Outlook bar. Because each icon on the Outlook bar is a shortcut to a folder or resource on your computer, you can save some time by adding a few well-chosen icons.

1. Choose View, Folder List.
2. Right-click a folder for which you want to add an icon to the Outlook bar.

   The shortcut menu appears.

3. Choose Add to Outlook Bar from the shortcut menu.

SAVE AN OUTLOOK CALENDAR AS A WEB PAGE

Saving your Outlook Calendar as a Web page means that you can share that Calendar with anyone who has a Web browser. You can, for example, use the Outlook Calendar to create a monthly event calendar for an organization and then display the calendar on the group's Web site. Members can easily view the upcoming schedule just by visiting the Web site.

To save your Outlook Calendar as a Web page, open the Outlook Calendar folder, and follow these steps

1. Select File, Save as Web Page.

   The Save as Web Page dialog box appears.

2. Select the starting and ending dates.
3. Checkmark the "Include appointment details" checkbox if you want your Web page to include information about the listed events.
4. Checkmark the Use background graphic checkbox if you want to include an image behind the calendar.

   You can use the Browse button to locate the image file you want to use.

5. Enter a title for the calendar.
6. Specify a name for the calendar file.
7. Click Save.

Note that if you haven't used this "Save as Web Page" feature before, you may to install it from your Outlook 2000 CD-ROM.

COLORIZING OUTLOOK YOUR WAY

In case you're in the mood to redecorate, here are two colorful ways to customize Outlook.

• Choosing your own color codes: As you probably know, you can assign a color code to an activity in the Appointment form by right-clicking an activity, choosing Label, and selecting a color. To decide for yourself what the colors mean, choose Edit, Label, Edit Labels. You see the Edit Calendar Labels dialog box. Enter your own descriptions next to the color boxes and click OK.
• Changing the background color: To choose a background color for the Calendar window, choose Tools, Options and, on the Preferences tab of the Options dialog box, click the Calendar Options button. You see the Calendar Options dialog box. Choose a new color from the Background Color drop-down menu.

KEEPING A CONTACT PRIVATE

If you use Outlook on a network and don't want everyone to know about your Contacts, you can mark a contact as Private. (That way, you can keep your nosy cubicle-neighbor from looking at your list of sales clients.)

When creating a new contact in your Outlook Contacts list, simply click the Private box in the lower-right corner of the New Contact form. After you click the Private box, you should see a check mark to indicate that the security feature is turned on. You can also double-click an existing contact to open the Contact form and check this same minuscule box in the lower-right corner. You'll be the only one who can view that contact's information.

UPDATE RECORDS FOR AN OUTLOOK CONTACT

An advantage to saving names and addresses with a program such as Outlook is that you can easily update your records. Making changes to an item in your contact list is simple. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click the Contacts icon on the Outlook bar (if you're not already in the Contacts module).
2. From the displayed contacts (regardless of the view), double-click the name of the contact that you want to change.

   The dialog box for that contact opens.

3. Change the information that needs changing.

   Enter information the same that you entered it when you recorded information about the contact the first time around.

4. Click the Save and Close button (or press Alt+S).

FILTERING VIEWS IN THE OUTLOOK CONTACT LIST

Filtered views in Outlook show only items that have certain characteristics, such as a specific job title or date. All views in all Outlook modules can be filtered, and some modules include filtered views. Although the Contacts module doesn't come with any filtered views when you begin using Outlook, you can easily create filtered views of your Contact list. Here's how:

1. Choose View, Current View, Customize Current View.

   The View Summary dialog box appears.

2. Click the Filter button to open the Filter dialog box.
3. In the box labeled Search for the Word(s), type the text that you want to filter.
4. Click the scroll-down button next to the In text box.

   You'll see the list of field types you can choose from.

5. Click OK to filter your list.

The words Filter Applied appear on the folder banner, and your list shows only the items that match the text you entered in Step 3.

DO YOU USE A LIST OR GROUP IN OUTLOOK?

You can create a person distribution list in Outlook 2000 -- but only if you have the right version. Outlook 2000 comes in two flavors: the Corporate version and the Internet Mail Only version. You can tell which one you have by checking the Tools menu. If you have a Tools, Services command, then you have the Corporate version and you can create personal distribution lists.

The Internet Mail Only version of Outlook 2000 doesn't have a Tools, Services command, and it doesn't have personal distribution lists. However, it does enable you to create groups, which are similar to personal distribution lists. You can tell that you have the Internet Mail Only version of Outlook 2000 if you have a Tools, Accounts command.

So what's the big deal about personal distribution lists? When you repeatedly send e-mail to the same group of people, you can save lots of time by creating a list that contains the addresses of all the people in the group. Then, when you send your message, rather than enter the name of each person on your list, you have only to enter the name of your personal distribution list.

SUM UP AN OUTLOOK CONTACT'S ACTIVITIES

On an Outlook contact record, the Activities tab reveals a summary of every Outlook item you've associated with that person. When you click the Activities tab, Outlook starts a search for all items linked with your contact. If you have a large collection of Outlook items, the search can take some time. If you're sure you want to find something specific, such as an e-mail message, click the scroll-down button (triangle) next to the word Show and choose the type of item you want. Outlook looks only at the kind of items you've specified, and your search will go faster.

FILTER OUTLOOK BY CUSTOMER PROFILE

Using Outlook to filter your customer base for a particular profile is easy -- just follow these steps:

1. Open your Contacts list and choose Customize Current View from the Navigation Pane.
2. Click the Filter button in the Customize View dialog box.
3. In the Filter dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
4. Click the Field button.
5. Select a field and a condition and then type or select a value for the selected field.
6. Click OK.

PROTECTING DATA IN OUTLOOK 2003

To protect your Outlook 2003 folder, create a password. With Outlook open and the All Folders list displayed, choose Personal Folders, Properties in the Navigation Pane. In the Personal Folders Properties dialog box, click the Advanced button and then click Change Password. Because you don't have an old password, just type the new password, retype it in the Verify Password text box, and click OK. Now you have a password protecting your data.

The Outlook data file protection helps maintain privacy when other users use the same computer, but it doesn't protect against hackers. This password was designed for privacy among several users, using the same computer only. This method isn't as secure as using password-protected Windows user accounts. Keep a copy of your password in a safe place so that you don't lose your data if you forget the password.

NAMING AN OUTLOOK DELEGATE

Busy people sometimes give their assistants the job of managing the boss's calendar, schedule, and even incoming e-mail. That way, the boss can concentrate on the big picture while the assistant dwells on the details.When you designate a delegate in Outlook on an Exchange network, you give your chosen delegate the right to look at whichever Outlook module you pick.

To name a delegate, follow these steps:

1. Choose Tools, Options. The Options dialog box appears.
2. Click the Delegates tab. The Delegates page appears.
3. Click Add. The Add Users dialog box appears.
4. Double-click the name of each delegate that you want to name. The names you choose appear in the Add Users box.
5. Click OK. The Delegate Permissions dialog box appears, so that you can choose exactly which permissions you want to give to your delegate(s).
6. Make any changes you want in the Delegate Permissions dialog box. If you make no choices at all in the Delegate Permissions dialog box, then by default, your delegate will be granted Editor status in your Calendar and Task list, which means that the delegate can read, create, and change items in those two Outlook modules.
7. Click OK. The Delegate Permissions dialog box closes. The names you chose appear in the Options dialog box.
8. Click OK.

DELAY SENDING AN OUTLOOK MESSAGE

Suppose you want to postpone sending a message in Outlook. Ordinarily, e-mail messages are sent immediately when you click the Send button in the Message window if your computer is connected to the Internet. (If it isn't connected, the message lands in the Outbox folder, where it remains until you connect to the Internet.)

Here's one technique for delaying delivery by postponing the send date:

1. Click the Options button in the Message window.

   You see the Message Options dialog box.

2. Select the Do Not Deliver Before check box, and choose a date in the drop-down calendar.

   You can also specify the time by selecting one from the drop-down menu.

3. Click Close and then Send.

   Your message goes to the Outbox folder, where it remains until the time arrives to send it.

DIAL A PHONE WITH OUTLOOK

Microsoft Outlook can speed the process of making a phone call. Consider the time it takes to look up a phone number, pick up the phone, listen for the dial tone, and then dial and wait until someone answers the call. The process is even longer if you're dialing long distance. Let Outlook help.

First, make sure the PC modem is set up and connected to your phone line, and then follow these steps:

1. On the Outlook Navigation pane, click Contacts.
2. Right-click the contact name you wish to call, and Choose Call Contact.

   The New Call dialog box opens.

3. Select the appropriate number (Home or Office) in the Number list box.
4. Click the Start Call button.
5. Pick up the phone and speak when the status shows connected or when you hear a person answer the phone on the other end.

CREATE A DISTRIBUTION LIST IN OUTLOOK

If you have the Corporate version of Outlook, and you can create personal distribution lists. (This version of Outlook has a Tools, Services command, while the Internet Mail Only version doesn't.)

Follow these steps to create a personal distribution list:

1. Choose Tools, Address Book.
2. Choose File, New Entry.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the Entry Type box and click Personal Distribution List.

   Make sure that the space at the bottom of the dialog box that says Put this entry in the contains the words Personal Address Book.

4. Click OK.
5. In the Name box, enter a name for your new personal distribution list.
6. Click Add/Remove Members.
7. Double-click the name of each person you want to include on your personal distribution list.
8. Click OK.

RECORDING A DOCUMENT IN THE OUTLOOK JOURNAL

If your favorite program, such as a drawing or desktop-publishing program, doesn't show up in the list of programs that can make automatic entries in the Journal, all is not lost - you can drag documents from Outlook's My Computer folder to the Journal folder to create Journal entries for those programs' files, too.

Because the Journal can keep track of many types of information about a document other than date and time (such as client, subject, and some notes), you can use the Journal to keep track of files you create in programs that aren't part of Microsoft Office. If you've elected to let Outlook create Journal entries automatically for your Office applications, you don't have to make entries for Office documents.

To record a document in the Journal:

1. Click the Other Shortcuts separator bar in the Outlook Bar.
2. Click the My Computer icon in the Outlook Bar.
3. Find the document that you want to record.

   Double-click the drive that contains the document you want to record. Then double-click the folder in which you save your documents to find the document that you want to record. Highlight it.

4. Click the Outlook Shortcuts separator bar in the Outlook Bar.
5. Drag the document to the Journal icon.
6. Click Save and Close.

   Your document is recorded in the Journal.

ARE YOU NETWORKED FOR OUTLOOK DOWNLOADS?

You can download some new (and free) applications to expand Outlook's capabilities from the Microsoft Web site, but beware. Many of the sample applications you find at Microsoft.com [ http://www.microsoft.com/ ] are useful only if you're using Outlook on a network that is also running Microsoft Exchange Server. Microsoft sometimes doesn't tell you which applications are useful for stand-alone (non-network) users, so, unfortunately, you're on your own. If you're on a network with Exchange Server, check with your network administrator before adding any new applications.

Likewise, some Outlook applications are version-specific. For example, an application built for Outlook 98 may not work with Outlook 2000. Be sure to read any information supplied about the application to ensure that it works on your version of Outlook.

SCHEDULING AN EVENT IN OUTLOOK

An event is a type of calendar entry much like an appointment, except that it lasts all day and isn't associated with a particular hour of the day. Holidays are events. In Outlook, you can schedule more than one event for the same day; for example, if your birthday falls on Christmas Day, you can schedule two events for December 25. (You still get only one present, however.) You can also schedule a convention or business trip as an event and then continue scheduling appointments on the event day. Events also look different on your calendar: Each event appears as a gray banner on the calendar day on which it's scheduled.

You use exactly the same steps to enter events as you use to enter appointments, except that you also check the All Day Event box.

CREATING A FIELD IN OUTLOOK 2003

You can create your own fields in any Outlook 2003 module, form, or view. You can even define what type the field will be and how it will look.

To create your own type of Outlook field, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the heading of any column.
2. Choose Field Chooser.
3. Click New.
4. Type the name of your new field in the Name box.
5. In the Type box, choose the type of field from which you want to make your new field.

   The Type box enables you to choose what kind of information will go in the field -- text, time, or percentage. Feel free to experiment; it's easy to change the type later by using the Format, Fields command.

6. In the Format list, choose the format of the information that you want to put in the field.

   Some types of information have several possible formats. Dates, for example, could have the format 8/4/05, August 4, 2005, or Thu 8/4/05. Some types of information, such as plain text, have only one format.

7. Click OK, and your new field appears in the Field Chooser.
8. Drag your new field to the position where you want it to appear.

You have a plethora of different ways to customize and use Outlook, so feel free to experiment!

FOLDER LIST SHORTCUTS

If you need to open the Folder List for only a second to open a folder, just click the name of the Outlook module that you're using (Calendar, Tasks, and so on) where it appears in large type just above the Information Viewer. A small triangle next to the name of the module indicates that you can click there to drop down the Folder List for one operation. The Folder List drops down until you click it or something else; then the Folder List disappears.

After you open the Folder List, you see a little figure that looks like a thumbtack in the upper-right corner of the Folder List window. If you click that thumbtack with your mouse, the thumbtack turns into a black X, and the Folder List stays open until you click the black X.

EXPRESS MAIL FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY

A family can easily maintain separate e-mail identities all on one computer -- each member can set up an Identity in Outlook Express. Then each person can send and receive e-mail as if he or she had an individual computer.

To create a new identity, follow these steps:

1. Choose File, Identities, Add New Identity.

   The New Identity dialog box appears.

2. Type a name for your identity.

   The name of your new identity appears and the New Identity Added dialog box pops up, asking whether you want to switch to your new identity.

3. Click Yes (or click OK if you use Outlook 2002).

   You're done!

After you've set up an Identity, you choose that identity each time you use Outlook Express so you can send and receive the messages that belong to you.

You can delete an identity any time by choosing File, Identities, Manage Identities, selecting the identity you want to delete, and then clicking Remove.

VIEWING A PUBLIC FOLDER

One popular feature of Outlook on a Microsoft Exchange network is the ability to use public folders. Public folders are places that a whole group of people can look at and add items to. You can have a public folder for tasks or contacts. You can also create a public folder that contains messages, a lot like your Inbox, except that everybody can add messages and read the same set of messages. Your company may maintain a public folder for an ongoing online discussion about important issues in your business or as a company bulletin board for announcements about activities, benefits, and other news.

To view a public folder, follow these steps:

1. Choose View, Folder List or click the Folder List button in the toolbar.

   The Folder List appears.

2. Click the name of the folder you want to see.

   The list of items in the folder appears.

You can double-click the title of any item that you see to view the contents of that item.

CUSTOMIZE OUTLOOK'S BUSINESS-CONTACT FORM

Outlook's e-mail, contact, calendar and tasks screens are forms that you can customize according to your business needs.

Follow these steps to customize a Contact form:

1. Choose Tools, Forms, Design A Form.

   The Design Form dialog box appears.

2. Double-click the Contact form.

   The Contact form opens, in Design mode.

3. Select and delete any field or figure you don't want in the current Contact form.

   Explore the Field Chooser to create and insert a new field.

4. Customize your form using the Form design bar tools.

   Also, choose from the Toolbox's 15 buttons to create frames, boxes and other designs.

5. When ready, click Publish (the leftmost button on the Form design bar).
6. Type a name for the form in the Form Name text box.
7. In the Display Name text box, type a name to appear on the form itself.
8. Click the Publish button.

   The form is saved in the library, ready to use.

CREATE AN OUTLOOK FORM FIELD

Every time you choose File, New in Outlook or double-click an item to open it, a form pops up. Forms enable you to create a new item or edit information in an old item. The forms that come with Outlook are shaped and designed to handle the information that most people use most of the time.

User-defined fields let you add types of information to your forms that weren't included with Outlook. Here's how to create a user-defined field and add it to a form:

1. Choose File, New, Contact.
2. Choose Tools, Forms, Design This Form.
3. Click the tab of an unused page.
4. Choose Form, Display This Page.
5. Click New in the Field Chooser dialog box.
6. Type a name for a new field and click OK.
7. Drag the new field onto the form page.
8. Click the Publish button at the far left of the Design Form toolbar.

   You can also choose File, Publish Form As.

9. Click Publish.

   Changes that you made to your form are now stored and will appear the next time you use the form.

USING AN OUTLOOK FORM YOU'VE DESIGNED

Using a form you've designed for Outlook, in any folder to which you published the form, is easy. The name you gave to the form turns up on the Outlook main menu whenever you choose the Outlook folder to which you published your custom form.

Here's how to use a custom form:

1. Click the Actions menu.
2. Choose the custom form name that appears at the bottom of the menu.

   If you created the form called New Prospect earlier in this chapter, then the name of the form appears at the bottom of the menu when you choose the Contacts menu. The first time you choose your new custom form, Outlook automatically installs the new form for you.

3. Fill out the form.
4. Click Save and Close.

After you've entered information and closed your new form, you see a new item containing the information you entered.

"GO TO" IT IN OUTLOOK 2003

You can use the Go To Date command in all Calendar and Timeline views. If you're looking at the Calendar, for example, and you want to skip ahead 60 days, press Ctrl+G and type 60 days from now. The Calendar advances 60 days from the current date.

PLANNING A GOAL LIST IN OUTLOOK

Consider turning your New Year goals into Outlook Tasks. Writing them down on paper is risky -- they're too easily forgotten or lost. In contrast, Outlook will remind you of each new step to accomplish until your goal becomes a reality.

Follow these steps to attaining your goals:

1. Open a new Task.
2. In the Subject line, type the title of your goal.
3. Select the Due Date, such as Dec 31 next year.
4. Record all the steps you need to accomplish to attain your goal.

   Include what should be done, when, by whom, and the resources needed.

5. Setup the Reminder date for the first step to be accomplished.
6. When the Reminder date arrives, open your task and adjust the date for the next phase to be accomplished.

SAVING AN INSTANT MESSAGE IN OUTLOOK

Instant messages may seem ephemeral, but if you're chatting about something important, you may want to save a copy of that conversation. With the message window still open, simply select the entire thread of messaging and copy it into an e-mail in Outlook. For example, you may already have a folder of e-mails that were exchanged on this topic before the conversation culminated in instant messages, so you can just add this one to the rest.

INTERNET LINKS IN OUTLOOK

As soon as you type http://, any Office XP application -- including Outlook -- recognizes that text as the beginning of an address for a Web page. If you type the address of a Web page in the text box of any Outlook item, the address immediately changes to blue, underlined text. If you click that text, your Web browser launches and shows you the corresponding page.

FINDING A JOURNAL ENTRY IN OUTLOOK

Although the Journal is time-oriented (it tracks items by time and date), occasionally you may need to find a Journal entry without knowing when the entry was made. To dig up the Journal entry you want, simply use the Find Items button.

1. Click the Journal icon on the Outlook bar. Your list of Journal entries appears.
2. Click the Find button on the toolbar (or press Alt+I).

   The Find window opens.

3. 3. Enter in the Look For text box a word or phrase you can find in your Journal.
4. If the Journal entry you're looking for turns up, double-click the icon next to the entry to see the item's contents.

   If the entry you're looking for doesn't show up, try searching for different text.

5. Click the Find button again (or press Alt+I) to close the Find window.

The icon that appears in the text box of your Journal entry is a shortcut to the document itself. You can open the document by double-clicking the shortcut.

AUTOMATICALLY RECORD AN OUTLOOK JOURNAL ENTRY

The Outlook Journal can automatically record any document you create, edit, or print in any Microsoft Office application. The Journal also automatically tracks e-mail, meeting requests and responses, and task requests and responses. Outlook asks you if you want to turn on the automatic journaling feature every time you click the Journal icon.

To turn on the Journal's automatic recording feature, follow these steps:

1. Choose Tools, Options.
2. Click the Journal Options button.
3. Click to place a check in the check box for those items and files you want to automatically record and for the contacts about whom you want the information recorded.

   The list of people in the For These Contacts box is the same as the list of people in your Contact list. You can also manually create Journal entries for people who are not in your Contact list.

   When you add names to your Contact list in the Contacts module, those names aren't set for automatic recording in the Journal. If you want the Journal to keep track of them, then you have two ways to tell it so:

   1. Check the name(s) in the Journal Options dialog box.
   2. Open the Contact record, click the Journal tab, and check Automatically Record Journal Entries for These Contacts.
4. Click OK.

   The Journal promptly begins automatically recording the items and files you selected for the contacts you named.

MANUALLY RECORD AN OUTLOOK JOURNAL ENTRY

If you don't want to clutter your Outlook Journal by recording everything automatically, you can enter selected items manually - just drag them to the Journal icon. For example, you may not want to record every transaction with a prospective client until you're certain that you're doing business with that client. You can drag relevant e-mail messages to the Journal and retain a record of serious inquiries. When you actually start doing business with a new client, you can set up automatic recording.

To manually record items in the Journal:

1. Drag the item that you want to record (such as an e-mail message) to the Journal icon.

   The Journal Entry form appears. At the bottom of the form is an icon representing the item you're recording, along with the item's name.

2. Fill in the information that you want to record.

   You don't have to record anything, though. The text box at the bottom of the screen gives you space for making a note to yourself, if you want to use it.

3. Click Save and Close.

   The item that you recorded is entered in the Journal. You can see your new entry when you view your Journal.

MIGRATING FROM OUTLOOK EXPRESS

So you've decided to move from Outlook Express to Outlook 2003. The Outlook 2003 Import and Export Wizard enables you to move all your Outlook Express data, including the mail account, all mailboxes, the address book, and rules into Outlook 2003, in a few easy steps. First, you need to import your Internet Mail account settings. Here's how:

1. In Outlook 2003, choose File, Import and Export.

   The Import and Export Wizard appears.

2. Select Import Internet Mail Account Settings from the list box.
3. Click Next and follow the wizard until the end.

   The Internet settings are installed in your Outlook 2003.

VIEWING AN OUTLOOK ENTRY LIST

As with other Outlook modules, the Journal comes with multiple views that show your entries in different ways, depending on what you need to see. You may just want to see your record of phone calls or a list organized by the names of the people you've dealt with.

The Current View menu enables you to change from one view to the next quickly. The Entry List is the whole tomato - all of your Journal entries, regardless of whom, what, or when. To call up the Entry List, simply choose View, Current View, Entry List.

You can click the heading at the top of any column to sort the list according to the information in that column. If you want to arrange your list of Journal entries by the type of entry, for example, click the header that says Entry Type. Your list is sorted alphabetically by type of entry, with conversations before e-mail before faxes and so on.

CATEGORIZING YOUR OUTLOOK NOTES

You can assign a category to any note you create in Outlook. Assigning categories makes the stuff you collect easier to use and understand. To assign a category to a note, follow these steps:

1. Click the Note icon in the upper-left corner of the note.

   The shortcut menu appears.

2. Choose Categories in order to get to the Categories dialog box.
3. Choose one of the existing categories, if one suits you; then click OK.
4. If none of the existing categories suits you, enter a category of your choice in the New Category box.
5. Click OK.

Your note looks the same, but now it has a category.

PRINTING A LIST OF NOTES IN OUTLOOK 2003

If you create a lot of little electronic stick-on notes, you may find yourself losing track of them all. You can use Outlook 2003 to print a list of your notes.

1. Click the Notes icon in the Outlook Bar.

   The Notes list appears.

2. Choose File, Print (or press Ctrl+P).

   The Print dialog box appears.

3. In the Print Style box, choose Table Style.

   If you choose Memo Style, you print the contents of a note rather than a list of notes.

4. Click OK.

CONFIGURE THE NAVIGATION PANE IN OUTLOOK 2003

Not everyone needs all the buttons on the Navigation Pane in Outlook 2003, and you can rearrange them to your liking. To decide which buttons belong on the Navigation pane and which buttons to display, click the Configure Buttons button on the Navigation pane. (The Configure Buttons button has a double-headed arrow pointing to the right, with a downward-pointing triangle below it.)

After you click the Configure Buttons button, you can mess around with the Navigation pane like this:

• Remove or add a button: Select Add or Remove buttons on the shortcut menu and select the name of a button to add or remove.
• Show fewer or more buttons: Select Show More Buttons or Show Fewer Buttons on the shortcut menu.
• Rearrange the buttons: Select Navigation Pane Options and, in the Navigation Pane Options dialog box, select button names and click the Move Up or Move Down button.

OUTLOOK 2003's NEW READING PANE

If you want to skim through a whole bunch of messages quickly, the Reading Pane in Outlook 2003 can help. The Reading Pane, a new feature in this latest version of Outlook, replaces the AutoPreview Pane. When you choose View, Reading Pane, Right, the Inbox screen divides into two sections. The left section shows your list of messages; the right shows the contents of the message you've selected. To move from one message to the next, just press the down-arrow key. You can also view any message in your Inbox by clicking the title of the message. If you prefer to see the text of your messages on the bottom of the screen, you can also choose View, Reading Pane, Bottom, but you can't see as much of your message.

The difference between looking at messages in the Reading Pane and looking at them in AutoPreview mode is that you can see graphics and formatting in the Reading Pane, but you can see only the text of a message in the AutoPreview mode. If your friends send you messages using Outlook stationery, for example, you can appreciate their graphic genius by viewing their messages in the Reading Pane.

CONDUCT A QUICK POLL IN OUTLOOK

If you use Outlook on an Exchange Server at work, you can send a mini-ballot and have the vote sent to you by e-mail. (Where to for lunch? Which gift for the new baby?) To perform this magic trick, follow these steps:

1. Open a new Message and click the Options button.
2. Under Voting and Tracking options, click Use voting buttons.
3. Choose a set of voting buttons from the drop-down menu.

   If the default buttons don't suit your needs, you can rename them. Just delete the default names and type the ones you want. Separate the new names with semicolons.

4. Click Close, finish your message, and it.

The recipient clicks a button to respond, and the response is sent to you in the form of an e-mail message with the recipient's vote appearing in the subject line.

PRINT AN INDIVIDUAL MESSAGE IN OUTLOOK

You can print the text of a message you're reading in Outlook by clicking the Print button on the toolbar at the top of your screen. The Print button sends your message directly to the printer without opening a Print dialog box to offer you some choices about how many copies you need or what kind of paper to print on or which printer to use (if you're using a network with more than one printer). To see your range of choices before you print, choose File, Print (or press Ctrl+P). The principles of printing are the same in all Outlook modules.

USING OUTLOOK'S PROGRAMS VIEW

Be careful when you delete or rename Outlook program files -- you may lose a program you need. Windows warns you when you're deleting a program file, so you know to be careful.

To see your Outlook files in Programs view:

1. Click the My Computer icon in the Outlook Bar.
2. Double-click the name of one of your drives, such as the C drive.
3. Double-click the name of a folder, such as Windows.

   A list of the files in the folder appears.

4. Choose View, Current View, Programs.

Many folders don't have any programs in them, so don't be surprised if you get a blank screen when you try Programs view. If you don't see any files that end in the letters .exe or .com, you don't have any program files, but you may have document files or spreadsheets or some other kind of file.

QUICKVIEW YOUR E-MAIL

Whenever you receive an Outlook message with a file attached, you have to open the attachment before you can read whatever is in the attachment. Here's a quick way to get a peek at the contents of a file attached to a message. Right-click the icon for the attachment and choose QuickView from the shortcut menu. Although you can't make changes to a document when you're using the QuickView feature, you can get a glimpse of what the attachment is about.

CREATE COMPLEX RULES IN OUTLOOK 2003

Use the Rules Wizard to create complex rules that earmark messages with words in the message body or earmark messages sent to distribution lists. You can also create a rule to flag messages automatically or delete a conversation (the original message and all replies).

To run the Rules Wizard, click the Rules and Alerts button or choose Tools, Rules and Alerts. You see the Rules and Alerts dialog box. Click the New Rule button and keep clicking Next in the Rules Wizard dialog boxes as you complete the two steps to create a rule:

1. Choose the rule you want to create or how you want to be alerted in the New Item Alerts message box.
2. Click a hyperlink to open a dialog box and describe the rule.

For example, click the Specific Words link to open the Search Text dialog box and enter the words that earmark a message. Click the Specified link to open the Rules and Alerts dialog box and choose a folder to move the messages to. You must click each link in the Step 2 box to describe the rule.

To edit a rule, double-click it in the Rules and Alerts dialog box and complete Steps 1 and 2 all over again.

CONTROL A SALES PROPOSAL IN OUTLOOK

Sending a sales proposal by e-mail and leaving the message in Outlook's Sent Items folder doesn't remind you to follow up. Take these steps to control your open proposals until they become orders:

1. In the Sent Items box, select the e-mail that contains your proposal information.
2. Drag and drop the message into the Tasks list.

   A new task opens with the sent e-mail inserted into it.

3. Set up the reminder for a follow-up call the next day.
4. Type the proposal's gross value into the subject line.
5. Click Save And Close.

You'll be reminded to make the follow-up call on time.

You can also adjust the Task priority if necessary:

1. Record the phone call results and next actions in the Task itself.
2. Set up the Reminder for the next action.
3. Click Save And Close.

Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each new action until receiving the order.

SCHEDULING WITH OUTLOOK 2003

Organize your day and your life by writing your needs into Outlook 2003 and using the reminders to remember your commitments. Follow these pointers to keep track of your life:

• Schedule your Time Commitments into the Calendar. Don't forget to calculate the time needed to arrive at those meeting places.
• Schedule your Task Commitments into the Tasks list. Select which task you should do first by using the Priority setting.

  (Time commitments and to-do commitments aren't the same thing. You can adjust to-do commitments according to the due date and your priorities, but time commitments aren't so easy to change.)

With all your information written and constantly updated, remember to use the Outlook Today screen to plan your day. Outlook Today allows you to see your Calendar, Tasks, and Messages at the same time.

SAVE A SEARCH FOR LATER

If you find yourself searching for the same stuff repeatedly in Outlook 2003, save the search criteria in a file. That way, you don't have to enter the search criteria each time you run the search. All you have to do is open the Advanced Find window, choose File, Open Search in the window, and choose a search file in the Open Saved Search dialog box. Searches are saved in special files with the extension .oss (Office Saved Searches).

To save a search, start by creating a folder for storing OSS files. After you have conducted a search you want to save, chose File, Save Search in the Advanced Save dialog box. You see the Save Search dialog box. Locate the folder where you save searches, enter a descriptive name for the search, and click OK.

BLOCKING SENDERS IN OUTLOOK 2003

Adding an individual to your Blocked Senders list is pretty simple. When you receive a message from someone you don't want to hear from anymore, select the message and choose Actions, Junk E-Mail, Add Sender to Blocked Senders List. This same method works for adding people to the Safe Senders and Safe Recipients lists. Just select the message, choose Actions, Junk E-Mail, and then choose the list to which you want the sender added.

UPDATE SHAREPOINT FROM OUTLOOK

Don't be deceived when you look at SharePoint folders in Outlook. The information you find in these folders is not automatically updated in Outlook; you have to link back to the SharePoint Web site to have updated data appear.

For the quickest way to make the update happen, follow these steps:

1. In Outlook, right-click the desired SharePoint folder.
2. Choose Open in Web Browser from the pop-up menu that appears.
3. Click the relevant icon (either Link to Calendar or Link to Contacts) when it appears on-screen.

LOOKING AT THE TABLE VIEW IN OUTLOOK

In Outlook, the Table views show you the most detailed information about the items that you've created. These views also enable you to organize the information in the greatest number of ways with the least effort.

Table views are organized in columns and rows. Each row displays information for one item -- one appointment in your Calendar, one task in your Tasks list, or one person in your Contacts list. Adding a row is easy. Just add a new item by pressing Ctrl+N, and then fill in the information you want for that item. Getting rid of a row is easy, too. Just delete the item: Select the item by clicking it with your mouse, and then press the Delete key.

The columns in a Table view show you pieces of information about each item. Most Outlook modules can store far more pieces of information about an item than you can display on-screen in row-and-column format. The Contacts list, for example, holds more than 90 pieces of information about every person in your list. If each person were represented by one row, you would need more than 90 columns to display everything.

ATTACH A FILE TO AN OUTLOOK 2003 TASK

Attaching a file to an Outlook 2003 task is a neat way to get down to work quickly. Instead of fumbling around in your computer for a Word document, Excel worksheet, or other type of file to work on, you can open it merely by double-clicking its name in the Task form or Reading pane of the Task window.

To attach a file to a task, open a task and choose Insert, File (or click the Insert File button in the Task form). Then, in the Insert File dialog box, select the file and click the Insert button.

ADDING AN INTERNET LINK TO AN OUTLOOK TASK

If you type the name of a Web page, such as www.outlookfordummies.com, in the text box at the bottom of the Outlook Task form, Outlook changes the text color to blue and underlines the address, making it look just like the hypertext you click to jump between different pages on the World Wide Web. That makes it easy to save information about an exciting Web site; just type or copy the address into your task. To view the page you entered, click the text to make your Web browser pop up and open the page.

CHANGING AN OUTLOOK TASK QUICKLY

Outlook offers a quick-and-dirty way to change a task, just as it has a quick-and-dirty way to enter a task. You're limited in the number of details you can change, but the process is fast. If you can see the name of a task, and if you want to change something about the task you can see, follow these steps.

1. Click the thing that you want to change.

   You see a blinking line at the end of the text, a triangle at the right end of the box, or a menu with a list of choices.

2. Select the old information.

   The old text is highlighted to show it's selected.

3. Type the new information.

   The new information replaces the old. If you click the Status box, a menu drops down and you can choose from the list.

4. 4. Press the Enter key.

Isn't that easy? If all you want to change is the name, status, or due date, the quick-and-dirty way will get you there.

PRINT A SINGLE TASK IN OUTLOOK

If your memory isn't what it used to be, try printing a copy of your Outlook Task list. After you've entered a task that includes lots of details about when, where, and how to do the task, you can print it out for someone or for yourself.

Follow these steps to print a single task:

1. Click the name of the task to select it.
2. Click the Print button on the toolbar to open the Print dialog box.
3. Choose Memo Style from the Print Style list.
4. If you want to print any document you may have attached to your task, click the box that says Print Attached Files with Item(s).
5. Click OK.

UPDATE THE PROGRESS ON AN OUTLOOK TASK

As with a big meal, you may not be able to finish an Outlook task in one sitting. As with the remainder of the meal, you can, in effect, store the rest of the task in a doggie bag to finish later. To do so, all you do is enter the percentage complete for a task. The remainder of the task to be completed sort of resembles leftovers for your task list.

Follow these steps to update your progress:

1. If you're not already in the Tasks module, go to it by clicking the Tasks icon on the Outlook bar.
2. Choose View, Current View, Simple List.
3. To open the Task form, double-click the name of the task you want to change.
4. Choose the appropriate status for your task from the Status drop-down list: Not Started, In Progress, Completed, Waiting on Someone Else, Deferred.
5. If you want to enter a value for the amount of work you believe is complete on the task, click one of the arrow buttons next to the % Complete drop-down box.

   You can select a completion percent of either 0, 25%, 50%, or 75%. Or, click in the edit box to enter a value of your own choosing.

6. Click the Save and Close button (or press Alt+S).

SKIPPING A RECURRING OUTLOOK TASK

When you need to skip a single occurrence of a recurring task in Outlook 2003, you don't have to change the recurrence pattern of the task forever - just skip the occurrence you want to skip and leave the rest alone.

To skip a recurring task, follow these steps:

1. Click the Tasks button in the Navigation Pane (or press Ctrl+4).

   Your list of tasks appears.

2. Click the words "Simple List" in the Current View section of the Navigation Pane.

   It doesn't matter which view you use, as long as you can see the name of the task you want to skip. Try the Simple List because it's . . . well, simple.

3. Double-click the name of the task you want to change.

   The Task form appears.

4. Choose Actions, Skip Occurrence.

   The due date changes to the date of the next scheduled occurrence.

5. Click Save and Close.

   Your task remains in the list with the new scheduled occurrence date showing.

CREATING A REGENERATING TASK IN OUTLOOK 2003

A regenerating task is like a recurring task except it recurs only when a certain amount of time passes after the last time you completed the task. Suppose that you mow the lawn every two weeks. If it rains for a week and one mowing happens a week late, you still want to wait two weeks for the next one. If you schedule your mowings in Outlook, you use the Regenerating Task feature to enter your lawn-mowing schedule.

To create a regenerating task:

1. Open the task by double-clicking it. The Task form appears.
2. Click the Recurrence button in the toolbar in the Task form (or press Ctrl+G). The Task Recurrence dialog box appears.
3. Click Regenerate New Task.
4. Enter the number of weeks between regenerating each task.
5. Click OK. A banner appears in the Task form describing the regeneration pattern you've set for the task.
6. Click Save and Close.

Your task appears in the list of tasks once, but it has a different type of icon than nonrecurring tasks have so you can tell at a glance that it's a regenerating task.

COLORIZING COMPLETED OR OVERDUE TASKS

When you complete a task or when it becomes overdue, Outlook 2003 changes the color of the text for the completed tasks to gray and the overdue tasks to red, which makes it easy for you to tell at a glance which tasks are done and which tasks remain to be done. If you don't like Outlook's color choices, you can choose different colors.

Here's how to change the color of completed and overdue tasks:

1. Choose Tools, Options. The Options dialog box appears.
2. Click the Task Options button. The Task Options page appears.
3. Click the box labeled Overdue Task Color. A list of colors drops down.
4. Choose a color for overdue tasks.
5. Click the box labeled Completed Task Color. A list of colors drops down.
6. Choose a color for completed tasks.
7. Click OK.

Your completed and overdue tasks will appear on your list in the colors you selected.

VIEWING OUTLOOK MESSAGES BY TIMELINE

The Message Timeline view is one of the more interesting views in Outlook; it draws a graph of all your messages according to when they arrived. Message Timeline view is designed to help you find messages when you can remember when they arrived but not why they arrived or who sent them.

To view messages by timeline, choose View, Current View, and then choose Message Timeline. The little icons that represent the messages are actually shortcuts to the messages that they represent. You can open a message by double-clicking the icon for that message. You can also right-click the message icon to reply to a message, delete a message, or move a message to another folder.

GET TO KNOW OUTLOOK WEB ACCESS

Outlook Web Access is part of a program called Microsoft Exchange, which many large organizations use to power advanced Outlook features. With it, you can access all your Outlook data from any Web-connected computer.

Outlook Web Access comes in handy, for example, when

• You don't want to lug a laptop on a very short business trip just to check your e-mail
• You don't want to fuss with getting your home computer connected to the office network
• You need access to your e-mail and other Outlook data from a Mac (or another kind of computer that won't run Outlook)

Outlook Web Access works best when viewed with Microsoft's own Web browser, Internet Explorer. If you use another browser, such as Netscape or AOL, the program may look quite different. The basic functions are the same, but the exact locations of the buttons differ -- sometimes quite a lot.

MAKE OUTLOOK TALK TO WORD

If you tell Outlook that you want to use Word as your e-mail editor, you'll have the power of Word (and its formatting features) at your disposal when creating e-mail.

To use Word as your e-mail editor, follow these steps:

1. In the Outlook menu, choose Tools, Options.

   The Options dialog box opens.

2. Click the Mail Format tab in the Options dialog box
3. In the list box named Send in This Message Format, choose Microsoft Word.
4. Click OK.

Remember that only the recipients who also use Microsoft Word and Outlook will be able to read many of the advanced Word formatting features that you add to your e-mail. In some cases, using Word as your e-mail editor also makes Outlook perform somewhat slowly, so you may do just as well choosing plain text or HTML as your message format.