Using Outlook s Built-in Views

Using Outlook's Built-in Views

Outlook ships with many built-in views. These views are typically accessed through the View menu in any Outlook folder. Many folders enable you to choose views directly from the Navigation pane. There are five basic types of views upon which all other views are based. Those basic views are Table views, Timeline views, Card views, Day/Week/Month views, and Icon views.

Table 4.1 details all the built-in Outlook views, their view types, and available print styles for each Outlook folder.

Table 4.1. Built-in Outlook Views and Print Styles

Outlook Folder	View Name	View Type	Available Print Styles
Calendar	Day/Week/Month and Day/Week/Month with AutoPreview	Day/Week/Month	Daily, Weekly,Monthly, Memo,Details, Trifold
	Active Appointments, Events, Annual Events, Recurring Appointments, By Category	Table	Table, Memo
Contacts	Address Cards, Detailed Address Cards	Card	Card, Small Booklet, Medium Booklet, Memo, Phone Directory
	Phone List, By Category, By Company, By Location, By Follow-Up Flag	Table	Table, Memo
Inbox	Messages, Messages with AutoPreview, By Follow-Up Flag, Last Seven Days,Flagged for Next Seven Days, By Conversation Topic, By Sender, Unread Messages, Sent To, Message Timeline	Table	Table, Memo
Journal	By Type, By Contact	Timeline	Not Available
	By Category, Entry List, Last Seven Days, Phone Calls	Table	Table, Memo
Tasks	Simple List, Detailed List, Active Tasks, Next Seven Days, Overdue Tasks, By Category, Assignment, By Person	Table	Table, Memo
	Responsible, Completed Tasks, Task Timeline	Timeline	Not Available
Notes	Icons Notes List, Last Seven Days, By Category, By Color	Icon Table	Memo Table, Memo

Every view contains the same basic components. Fields contain the actual information displayed in the view. Fields can be presented in columns in a Table view or as sections in a Card view. Most views can be grouped by any available field. All views can be sorted by any available field. All views can be filtered to display only certain items. All views have font and display settings that can be manipulated. All views can take advantage of automatic formatting rules to color items based on specific criteria.

Table Views

In a Table view, items are displayed in a table with a row for each item. Properties of each item are displayed in columns. This view resembles an Excel spreadsheet.

One of the first things you will notice about Outlook is that the Table view in the Inbox has changed. The default Table view of the Inbox now displays two lines of information per item (see Figure 4.1). This change allows more information to be displayed for each item while also allowing the Reading Pane to move to its new default position, on the right side of the screen, where an almost full-page preview is now available.

Figure 4.1. The Table view of the Inbox can display two lines of information per row in the table.

NOTE

You can sort by any column in a Table view by clicking on that column header. Click on the same column header a second time to sort the column in the opposite order.

Timeline Views

In a Timeline view, items are displayed in chronological order based on when they were created, received, or their start date. This view can show a day's, week's, or month's worth of Outlook items. Timeline views cannot be printed. A Timeline view of Journal items is shown in Figure 4.2.

Figure 4.2. The default Journal view is a Timeline view.

Card Views

In a Card view, items are displayed in large squares much like index cards. This view is primarily associated with the Contacts folder, but other folders can use this view also. Figure 4.3 shows a typical Card view of the Contacts folder.

Figure 4.3. The Contacts folder offers several different Card views to choose from in the Current View list.

Even though Card views were designed for Contacts folders, you can apply this type of view in any folder. Each folder displays different information on the card. In the Inbox, for example, a Card view typically shows the subject, sender, importance, and the first few lines of the message body. In the Tasks folder, each task's title is displayed on the card header. The fields typically included are Status, Due Date, Priority, and Categories. You can add any available field to a Card view.

Day/Week/Month Views

In a Day/Week/Month view, items are displayed on a daily, weekly, or monthly calendar. This view is primarily associated with the Calendar folder, but other Outlook folders can use this view as well. Figure 4.4 shows a Month view of the Calendar folder.

Figure 4.4. The Calendar folder's Day/Week/Month view can display up to five weeks of data at a time.

Icon Views

In an Icon view, items are displayed with large or small icons along with the item subject. This view is primarily associated with the Notes folder, but other Outlook folders can use this view also. A typical Icon view of the Notes folder is shown in Figure 4.5.

Figure 4.5. The Notes folder's default view is an Icon view.