Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 Product Guide

To change the Reading task pane options:

1. 
   On the Tools menu, click Options,
   
2. 
   Click the Other tab.
   
3. 
   Click Reading Pane.
   

1. 
   On the View menu, point to Reading Pane.
   
2. 
   Click Right or Bottom.
   

1. 
   On the View menu, point to Arrange By, click Custom, and then click Other Settings.
   
2. 
   Under Reading Pane, select the Hide header information check box.
   

Organizing messages is easier with Outlook 2003. The Multi-line view puts the sender’s name in dark text in the upper-left corner, making it easy to scan down the list for important names. Secondary information is rendered in lighter shades of text to draw the eye toward the more important information. This view also makes messages easier to select with the pen on a Tablet PC.

To use space more efficiently, Smart Dates change the date format on the fly based on how long ago the message was received. For example, an e-mail message that was received today will only display a time: 3:40 p.m. Messages that were received during the current week display a day of the week and time: Wed 1:24 a.m. For e-mail that was received many months ago, the exact time is less important, so Outlook 2003 displays only the date: 1/12/2003. This makes it easier for the user to sort, find, file, and manage e-mail quickly and efficiently.

The new e-mail view automatically applies intelligent groupings to help sort messages. For example, when messages are arranged by date received, Outlook 2003 splits them into simple groups (“Today,” “Yesterday,” “Last Week,” “Last Month,” and so on). When messages are arranged by size, Outlook 2003 again divides messages into user-friendly groups (“Large,” “Small,” “Very Large,” and so on). These groups make it easier to scan through a list of several messages.

Users can treat these groups as objects, choosing to move, delete, copy, forward, or perform other actions on all items in the group at one time. For example, messages can be grouped by date, and then the user can drag all the messages from “Last Month” to another folder, filing them away with one click.



Users can specify the number of lines that display in multi-line view.

How to change multi-line view settings

To change the number of characters displayed before multi-line layout switches to single-line layout:

1. 
   On the View menu, point to Arrange By, and then click Custom.
   
2. 
   Click Other Settings.
   
3. 
   Under Other Options, select the Use multi-line layout in widths smaller than n characters check box, and type the number you want for n.
   

To specify the number of lines that display in multi-line view:

1. 
   On the View menu, point to Arrange By, and then click Custom.
   
2. 
   Click Fields.
   
3. 
   In the Maximum number of lines in multi-line mode box, select the number you want.
   

1. 
   On the View menu, point to Arrange By, and then select the appropriate arrangement.
   
2. 
   To customize the arrangement that has been applied, on the View menu, point to Arrange By, click Custom, and then select the appropriate options.
   

This feature groups messages by message subject or “thread.” The sorting order of items in the “threads” is based on who replied to whom, and the sorting order of the groups is by date. When a new message is received, the entire conversation to which it pertains moves to the top of the message list. By default, only unread and flagged messages appear. Users can see all messages in the conversation by clicking the arrow that appears next to the conversation heading. Messages are indented to show who replied to whom and when the reply was sent.

1. 
   On the View menu, point to Arrange By, and then click Conversation.
   
2. 
   To customize the arrangement, on the View menu, point to Arrange By, click Custom, and then select the appropriate options.
   

To move between the different Navigation pane module views quickly, users can use the Go menu or the integrated keyboard shortcuts. The following are keyboard shortcuts:

• 
  Mail CTRL+1
  
• 
  Calendar CTRL+2
  
• 
  Contacts CTRL+3
  
• 
  Tasks CTRL+4
  
• 
  Notes CTRL+5
  
• 
  Folder List CTRL+6
  
• 
  Shortcuts CTRL+7
  
• 
  Folder CTRL+Y
  

On the Go menu, click the appropriate Navigation pane module or view.

Quick flags

Use this feature to mark messages with a flag for follow-up action or later reference. Flagging a message, meeting request, or contact adds a flag icon to the item. Use the six colored message flags to manage incoming e-mail items by flagging the items for different kinds of follow-up action.

When users add a message flag, the background color of the Flag Status column changes color, making it easy for users to find items in the message list while scrolling. Items to which a message flag is added automatically appear in the For Follow Up Search Folder.



Use the colored message flags to flag items for different kinds of follow-up action.

How to flag an e-mail message

1. 
   Click the flag icon on an e-mail message to flag it with the default flag.
   
2. 
   To flag the message with a different colored flag, or to change the default flag color, right-click the flag icon, and then click the appropriate option.
   

Any message, meeting request, or contact that has been flagged is visible in the For Follow Up Search Folder. Because it is a Search Folder, the items remain in their original Outlook locations. Items are grouped by the type of follow-up action they require, which

is indicated by the color of the message flag. Use this folder to group and browse items that are intended for follow-up action or further reference.



The For Follow Up Search folder contains a view of all items that have been flagged.

How to view the For Follow Up Search folder

1. 
   Make sure that at least one message, meeting request, or contact has been flagged.
   
2. 
   In Mail, in the Favorite Folders area, click For Follow Up.
   

Search Folders are virtual folders that contain views of all e-mail items matching specific search criteria. Search Folders contain the results of previously defined search queries, but all e-mail items remain in their original Outlook folder. With Search Folders, users can easily group and browse through all items relating to a subject, person, task, or other criteria, without physically moving messages or folders.

Three Search Folders are created for users by default:

• 
  Unread Mail. All unread e-mail items appear in the Unread Mail Search Folder.
  
• 
  For Follow Up. Any e-mail message that includes a flag appears in the For Follow Up Search Folder.
  
• 
  Large Mail. E-mail items that are larger than 100 kilobytes (KB) appear in the Large Mail Search Folder.
  

1. 
   In Mail, on the File menu, point to New, and then click Search Folder.
   
2. 
   Use a predefined Search Folder or click Create a custom Search Folder.
   

In Outlook 2003, the new mail Desktop Alert comes into view with the name, subject, and a short text preview of the new e-mail message. When a Desktop Alert appears, users can set a flag on a message, delete it, or mark it as read—all without opening the Inbox. If the Desktop Alert is ignored, it soon fades from view.

Users can customize the appearance of the Desktop Alerts. The alerts can remain visible for as briefly as three seconds or for as long as 30 seconds. Users can also adjust the transparency to make the alerts more noticeable or to keep them from blocking the view of documents and other items on the desktop. Users can also change where the Desktop Alerts appear by dragging an alert to a more preferable location on the desktop.



Customize the transparency and duration of the Desktop Alerts.

How to customize Desktop Alerts

1. 
   On the Tools menu, click Options.
   
2. 
   On the Preferences tab, click E-Mail Options, click Advanced E-mail Options, and then click Desktop Alert Settings.
   

Outlook 2003 includes features that are designed to help prevent much of the unwanted e-mail that arrives every day, and to give the user control over the kinds of messages that can be received. The features include the following options:

• 
  Junk E-mail Filter. The Junk E-mail Filter feature is on by default, and the protection level is set to Low, which is designed to catch the most obvious junk e-mail messages. Any message that Junk E-mail Filter catches is moved to a special Junk E-mail folder, where users can retrieve or review it at a later time. Outlook 2003 can also be set to delete junk e-mail messages permanently.
  
• 
  Safe Senders List. If an e-mail message is mistakenly marked as junk by the filter, the user can add the sender of that message to the Safe Senders List. E-mail addresses and domain names on the Safe Senders List are never treated as junk e-mail, regardless of the content of the message.
  
• 
  Blocked Senders. E-mail messages from certain e-mail addresses or domain names can easily be blocked by adding the sender to the Blocked Senders list. Mail from people or domain names on this list are always treated as junk, regardless of the content of the message.
  
• 
  Safe Recipients List. A mailing list can also be added to the Safe Recipients List. Any e-mail that is sent to e-mail addresses or domain names on this list will not be treated as junk, regardless of the content of the message.
  
• 
  AutoUpdate. Microsoft is committed to providing periodic updates of the Junk E-mail Filter so that it continues to be effective.
  

1. 
   On the Tools menu, click Options.
   
2. 
   On the Preferences tab, click Junk E-mail.
   
3. 
   Click the Options, Safe Senders, Safe Recipients, or Blocked Senders tab to modify the desired settings.
   

Messages that are formatted in HTML often contain images that are not included in the message itself but are instead downloaded from a Web server when the e-mail message is opened. These unannounced connections to Web servers can now be blocked.

If an e-mail message tries to connect unannounced to a Web server on the Internet, Outlook 2003 blocks that connection until the user decides to view the content. However, e-mail messages from or to e-mail addresses or domain names on the Safe Senders and Safe Recipients Lists are treated as exceptions, and the blocked content will be downloaded. Users can download pictures and other content on a per-message basis by clicking the InfoBar or by right-clicking a blocked image, or can change the settings about automatic picture download for all HTML messages.



When an e-mail message attempts to download pictures from a Web server, the pictures are blocked. Users can download them on a per-message basis or change the settings.

How to change the Block External Content settings

1. 
   On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Security tab.
   
2. 
   In the Download Pictures area, click Change Download Settings.
   

Users can quickly view another person's calendar, contacts, and tasks from the Navigation pane. After the first time a user gains access to another person's folder, the shared folder is added to the Navigation pane. The next time the user wants to view the other person's folder, the user can select it in the Navigation pane. Likewise, users can share their own calendar with anyone or with only a specified group. In either case, the details of any item that is marked Private are not displayed to other people.

In Calendar, click Share My Calendar.

1. 
   In Calendar, click Open a Shared Calendar.
   
2. 
   To select another person's name from the address book, click Name or type the name in the Name box. The new calendar will appear to the side of any calendar already in the view.
   

With Outlook 2003, pictures can be added directly into a contact, which means that users can associate a face with the name and other information in the contact.

1. 
   In Contacts, create or open a contact.
   
2. 
   On the Actions menu, click Add Picture.
   

In Cached Exchange Mode, a copy of a mailbox is stored on the computer, and the mail server updates the data frequently. If the user is working offline, whether by choice or as a result of a connection problem, the data is still available instantly.

1. 
   On the Tools menu, click E-Mail Accounts.
   
2. 
   Click View or change existing e-mail accounts, and then click Next.
   
3. 
   In the Outlook processes e-mail for these accounts in the following order list, click Microsoft Exchange Server, and then click Change.
   
4. 
   Under Microsoft Exchange Server, select or clear the Use Cached Exchange Mode check box.
   

With Outlook 2003 and Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 running on Microsoft Windows Server 2003, users can gain access to the Exchange Server-based computer directly by way of HTTP over an Internet connection. With Outlook 2003, if users can browse the Web, they can use the Exchange mailbox.

Outlook 2003 automatically connects through HTTP when a direct connection to the Exchange Server-based computer is unavailable, eliminating the need to have corporate VPN servers set up for e-mail access.



Office administrators can configure Outlook 2003 to communicate with an Exchange Server over the Internet.

How to connect to the Exchange Server by using HTTP

1. 
   On the Tools menu, click E-mail accounts, and then select View or change existing e-mail accounts.
   
2. 
   Click Next.
   
3. 
   Select the Microsoft Exchange e-mail account, and then click Change.
   
4. 
   Click More Settings, and then click the Connection tab.
   
5. 
   Select the connection you use when working offline.
   

Outlook 2003 integrates Internet faxing. This integration allows the users to send faxes by using features that a typical fax machine does not offer. For example, users can use the fax numbers in Contacts, use the preview tool to view a fax before sending it, calculate the cost of the fax before sending it, add cover pages that are fully editable in Word 2003, and even sign their names on their fax if they use a Tablet PC. Users can not only send faxes with Outlook 2003 but can also receive faxes in their Outlook Inboxes.

On the File menu, point to New, and then click Internet Fax. An e-mail message opens in Outlook 2003 with the document attached as a .TIF (image) file, or a file can be attached to the message.

As this section demonstrates, Outlook 2003 is rich in features and easy to use. Users who require assistance with Outlook 2003 can get online help and services for Office 2003 Editions, as described in the next section.

Help and Training Online

Microsoft Office 2003 Editions offer new and improved integration with Microsoft Office Online Web services. More powerful, better integrated, and with an improved online interface, these services are seamlessly available from within Office 2003 programs. The Web site, also available through a browser at www.microsoft.com/office, offers a resource page for each Office 2003 Editions program. The resources pages have assistance, columns, training, and templates.

Help

Assistance

The Assistance Web page provides up-to-date information with How To articles, conceptual topics, columns, and helpful tips for common tasks. Users can find answers to common questions, read articles on features in Office 2003 Editions, look for specific help in newsgroups, or suggest a topic for a future article.

Office Online Training

The Training site offers Web-based interactive training courses and self-paced exercises. Users can develop deeper knowledge of tasks and application features, such as creating an outline in Microsoft Office Word 2003 or using motion paths in Microsoft Office PowerPoint® 2003 slides. Courses include practice sessions where users can give things a try in the actual program, and short tests to assess comprehension. Courses cover a variety of topics, and are available for any Office 2003 Editions program.



Use Office Online to find training opportunities for Office programs.

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