Working with the Address Book


tip

If you upgraded to Windows XP and have your old Address Book (either on another computer or stored as a file on your PC), you can import it to Windows XP. Then you don't have to re-create the list you so painstakingly created before.

To import an Address Book, from the Address Book window, open the File menu and select Import. From the submenu, select Address Book (WAB). In the Select Address Book File to Import From dialog box, select the file to import and click Open. By doing this, your addresses are imported into the new Address Book from Outlook Express in Windows XP.


One of the most useful things you can do to customize your email is to set up your Address Book. Rather than typing an address each time, you can display the Address Book and select a name from it. This method is not only easier and quicker, but also less error-prone.

You can also use the Address Book to set up a contact group so that you can easily send one message to several people without creating multiple messages or selecting several addresses.

Finally, if you want to put in the effort, you can store a lot more information for a contact with the Address Book. If you do so, you can then use the Address Book in mail merges in Word or Access.

The following sections cover these Address Book options.

Adding Addresses

The easiest way to add an address to your Address Book is to pick up the address from an existing message. This saves you from having to type the information. To add an address from a mail message, follow these steps:

1.

Display the message with the name you want to add to your Address Book.

2.

Right-click the name and select Add to Address Book (see Figure 15.4). You'll see the Properties dialog box.

Figure 15.4. You can add names to your Address Book.


3.

To simply add the name, click OK. You can also add other contact information. See "Using the Address Book as a Contact List" later in this section.

If you don't have an email message from the person you want to add, or if you prefer to type the address book entry, you can do so. Simply follow these steps:

1.

From the Outlook Express main window, click Address Book. You'll see a list of entries you already have in your Address Book (see Figure 15.5).

Figure 15.5. You can display the entries in your Address Book at any time.


2.

Click the New button and select New Contact from the drop-down options. You'll see the Properties dialog box for a new contact (see Figure 15.6).

Figure 15.6. Complete the information for the contact you want to add.


3.

The first tab contains the basic contact information. Complete the entries on this tab. At the minimum, type the first and last names, as well as the email address. You can also type any title or assign a nickname.

tip

A nickname is a shorthand reference to a contact. You can type this shorter name when creating a new mail message.

4.

Complete any of the other information. (See the section "Using the Address Book as a Contact List" later in this chapter.)

5.

Click OK to add the contact.

Setting Up Contact Groups

If you commonly send messages to a group of people, you can set up a group, rather than selecting each person. Then, when you want to send a message to that group, you select the group name, and each person in that group receives the message. You can create groups from the Address Book. Follow these steps:

1.

Open the Address Book by clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories, and then Address Book. You'll see the list of contacts in the Address Book window (refer to Figure 15.5).

2.

Click New and select Group. You'll see the Properties dialog box.

3.

Type a name for the group.

4.

Add members to the group. To add a member, click Select Members and then select any contacts already in your address book. Otherwise, type the name and email address for the person and click Add (see Figure 15.7).

Figure 15.7. You can add names to a group by selecting them from the Address Book or by typing the address for each person.


5.

When you have added all the members, click OK.

Now when you want to send a message to all members in this group, you can click the To button in the New Mail Message window and then select the group from the Address Book.

Using the Address Book as a Contact List

In addition to keeping track of email addresses, you can also add other information for each contact, including address, phone numbers (phone, fax, cell), business information (company, title, web page), personal information (spouse, children, birthday), and notes. To add other information, follow these steps:

1.

Open the Address Book by clicking Start, All Programs, Accessories, and then Address Book. You'll see the list of contacts in the Address Book window.

2.

Double-click the contact for whom you want to add more information. The Properties dialog box for that contact is displayed. The first tab includes summary information. The Name tab includes email information.

3.

Click the Home tab. You'll see the various fields of information you can enter (see Figure 15.8). Complete any or all of the fields.

Figure 15.8. You can keep track of other information, such as mailing addresses, company information, and other data, in your Address Book.


4.

Click any of the other tabs and complete any or all of the fields for that category. For instance, click Business to enter company information.

5.

Click OK when you are finished entering information.



    Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows XP
    Absolute Beginners Guide to Windows XP (2nd Edition)
    ISBN: 078973432X
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2005
    Pages: 176
    Authors: Shelley OHara

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