What s New in Outlook 2003

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What's New in Outlook 2003

As stated previously, with each new version of Outlook, new features are added, in addition to enhancements to already existing features. Following are some of the new features that users might find most beneficial.

Understanding the New Outlook 2003 Interface

The new Outlook interface incorporates many changes that were requested by users. The new four-pane view is much more user -friendly, and the Preview pane allows for a great deal more space for previewing email than was available previously. The buttons in the Shortcut pane below the Folder pane provide a quick new way to access the different features of Outlook. Additionally, new features provide better ways to quickly view and organize email.

Similarities with OWA

The new Outlook 2003 GUI is extremely similar to the GUI that Outlook Web Access users using Exchange Server 2003 experience. Outlook 2003 provides many more features than OWA does, but the similarities between the two provide the end user with a much greater comfort level; they also lessen the need for end user training in OWA usage. The similarities between the two products are the result of the close work between the two teams . Outlook Web Access is discussed in great detail in Chapter 26, "Everything You Need to Know About the Outlook Web Access Client."

Methods for Highlighting Outlook Items

As stated before, with each iteration of Outlook, the methods for organizing and finding messages have been enhanced. This is because mail has become more of a way of sharing information, and the pure volume of mail that end users receive has increased. The newest version of Outlook provides even more methods for highlighting, flagging, alerting, and organizing mail than were available previously.

Using Quick Flags

Quick flags have been enhanced in Outlook 2003. Now the end user can right-click on a message and assign a colored flag to a message, making it stand out from other messages and making grouping easier by arranging messages by flag color. Because the flag colors have no predetermined meaning, the user can then assign importance or categorization to each flag color . To assign a quick flag, do the following:

  1. Right-click on the gray flag icon on the far-right side of the email message in the Inbox to access the flag options.

  2. Right-click once on the flag color desired, choose Flag Complete to mark the flag completed and change the colored flag to a check mark.

Another option is to configure a reminder on the flag. The options for the reminder include these:

  1. Flag the message.

  2. Right-click on the flag and choose Add Reminder.

  3. Choose the reason to flag the message and then a due date (Figure 25.1).

    Figure 25.1. Adding a reminder to a flag.

    graphics/25fig01.gif

  4. Click OK when completed. The user receives a standard pop-up reminder when the flag comes due.

After a message is flagged, the messages can be arranged by clicking on the arrow on the top of the flag column in the Inbox to arrange messages by flagging.

Making Key Appointments Stand Out with Color

Within the Calendar, this new feature allows the customization of appointments with colors, to make them stand out from their brethren.

To choose a color and a label, follow these steps:

  1. Open the appointment in the Calendar.

  2. Click on the drop-down box next to Label, to the right of the Location box.

  3. Choose the color and label that best apply to the message.

  4. Click Save, Close.

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The Calendar colors can also be accessed while in the Calendar area by clicking on the Calendar Colors button in the toolbar, or by right-clicking on the Calendar object before opening it and choosing Label.


Viewing Information About Email Quickly

Outlook 2003 includes a quick pop-up box that provides information about the email, such as sender name , the size of the file, and the date/time the message was received. To view the quick summary, simply hold the mouse over a message; the pop-up box that provides this information appears.

Proposing a New Meeting Time

A new feature for the Calendar is for meeting invitees, not just the meeting organizer, to be able to propose a new meeting time when they receive a meeting invitation . To propose a new time for a meeting, do the following:

  1. Open the meeting invitation.

  2. Click on the Propose New Time button to the right of the Accept/Tentative/Decline boxes.

  3. Choose the new time using any of the standard ways of choosing a meeting time, as shown in Figure 25.2.

    Figure 25.2. Proposing a new time for a meeting.

    graphics/25fig02.jpg

  4. Click the Propose Time button when done.

  5. Click Send when completed.

Using the New Search Functionality

Outlook 2003 greatly enhanced the searching functionality within Outlook. The user can now save searches: If they frequently complete the same search, they can save time by saving the search for future use. Additionally, the Search In functionality from the toolbar makes accessing the search capability even faster.

Using the Search In Functionality

The Search In functionality is easily accessible from the top of the toolbar above the main panes. To perform a search, do the following:

  1. Enter the word(s) to search for in the Look For box, or click on the Find button in the toolbar.

  2. Click the drop-down arrow next to Search In to choose the part of Outlook in which to search.

  3. Click Find Now to begin the search. The results are shown in the window below the search.

Saving Searches

To save a search, the search must be started from within the Folder list under Search Folders. The following steps should be followed:

  1. Right-click on Search Folders and choose New Search Folder.

  2. Within the New Search Folder pop-up box, shown in Figure 25.3, choose the search folder and criteria. Depending on what is picked in the top, the user might be presented with more options to fill out before commencing the search. Choose also what part of Outlook to search.

    Figure 25.3. Creating new search folder criteria.

    graphics/25fig03.gif

  3. Click OK when completed.

  4. The search completes and the results are displayed in the center pane. Additionally, the search is saved under the Search Folders area in the Folder list.

  5. To delete the saved search, click on it and choose Delete.

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For saved searches to be accessed via Outlook Web Access (OWA), they must be created in Outlook 2003 first and then saved.


Associating Items with Specific Contacts

Any Microsoft Office document, as well as a mail message, Calendar item, or task, can be linked to a contact and then appears in the Activities tab of the contact. This is useful to keep track of all correspondence and information regarding the contact.

To link an item to the contact, do the following:

  1. Open the contact.

  2. Go to Actions, Link, Items to link an item within Exchange, as shown in Figure 25.4.

    Figure 25.4. Linking an item to an Outlook contact.

    graphics/25fig04.jpg

  3. Or, go to Actions, Link, File to browse the network or the local hard drive to link a file.

  4. Click on Item to choose an Outlook item to link, including items from public folders.

Outlook maintains links in the Activities tab until they are removed manually by the end user.

To remove a link to a contact, there is a different method, for an Outlook component and for a document. To remove a link for an Outlook component, do the following:

  • Double-click on the message for which the link should be removed.

  • When it's open, go to View, Options.

  • To the right of the Contacts button, delete the contact listed there.

  • Close the object.

To remove a link for a document, do the following:

  • Double-click on the document for which the link should be removed.

  • Delete the message that was created with the document included in it.

Managing Multiple Email Accounts from One Place

Outlook 2003 allows the end user to access multiple email accounts from one Outlook box, including IMAP, POP3, and HTTP mail accounts.

To configure Outlook to access multiple mailboxes, do the following:

  1. Go to Tools, Email Accounts.

  2. Choose Add a New Email Account.

  3. Click Next.

  4. Select the correct email server for the account, depending on the type of email account (POP3, HTTP, Exchange, IMAP).

  5. Click Next.

  6. Enter the appropriate information for the email account so that it can be properly connected.

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    For an Exchange Server account, click Check Names. Verify that the Exchange server successfully verified the name entered; it becomes underlined after this happens.

    For an MSN Hotmail subscriber, enter the hotmail email address and password only.

    For a POP3 server, verify that it is properly configured by clicking Test Account Settings.

  7. Click Next.

  8. Click Finish.

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Additional mailboxes in user profiles can be enabled automatically upon installation by using the Custom Installation Wizard, which is discussed in the next section, "Customizing the End user Experience."


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Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Unleashed
Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Unleashed (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0672328070
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 393
Authors: Rand Morimoto

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