Displaying Different Views of Tasks


The creators of Outlook 2007 must have had a lot to do-they seem to have been somewhat obsessed with task management. You can view and manage your tasks from more places than ever before. Whereas in previous versions of Outlook, your tasks were available only from certain pages, you can now view your task list from anywhere in Outlook on the new To-Do Bar, as well as in the Tasks module, in the Calendar module, and on the Outlook Today page.

See Also For information about Outlook Today, see "Exploring the Advanced Toolbar" in Chapter 1, "Getting Started with Outlook 2007."

In the Tasks module, the available views of your task list include:

  • Simple List

  • Detailed List

  • Active Tasks

  • Next Seven Days

  • Overdue Tasks

  • By Category

  • Assignment

  • By Person Responsible

  • Completed Tasks

  • Task Timeline

  • Server Tasks

  • Outlook Data Files

  • To-Do List

Other than Task Timeline, all of these views are list views. In views displaying only selected tasks, the words (Filter Applied) appear on the folder banner at the top of the Tasks pane. You can reorder the tasks in any list view by clicking the heading of the field you want to sort on, and you can display the Reading Pane in any view by pointing to Reading Pane on the View menu and then clicking Right or Bottom.

You can quickly switch between views by selecting the view option you want in the Current View list in the Navigation Pane or on the Advanced toolbar. The Current View list is displayed by default in the Tasks module. You can hide or display it by pointing to Navigation Pane on the View menu, and then clicking Current View Pane.

Tip 

If you prefer, you can switch views from the Ways To Organize pane . To display this pane, click Organize on the Tools menu, and then click Using Views. This pane is a holdover from previous versions of Outlook, and its usefulness has long been outpaced by other tools.

You can keep your task list close at hand by displaying it on the To-Do Bar. The To-Do Bar Task List displays tasks grouped and sorted by due date (although you can also sort it by category, start date, folder, type, or importance, or create a custom arrangement). You can scroll the list to display all your tasks, or collapse the groups you don't want to view. To increase the space available for your task list, you can close the Date Navigator or show fewer or no appointments.

You can minimize the To-Do Bar so that it displays only your next appointment (if you choose to display appointments) and the number of open tasks due today (if you choose to display tasks). You can switch between views of the To-Do Bar by clicking the Minimize or Maximize button on its header.

See Also For information about the To-Do Bar, including changing the type and amount of content displayed, see "Personalizing Your Outlook Workspace" in Chapter 1, "Getting Started with Outlook 2007."

When you view your calendar in Day view or Week view, the Daily Task List at the bottom of the program window displays the tasks due each day, including the category and task type. In Day view, the start date, due date, and reminder time also appear. If you don't see the Daily Task List under the Calendar pane in one of these views, point to Daily Task List on the View menu, and then click Normal. Like the Navigation Pane and the To-Do Bar, you can minimize the Daily Task List so that it displays only the number of active and completed tasks and provides more space for you to work. You can switch between views of the Daily Task List by clicking the Minimize or Maximize button on its header.

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Finding and Organizing Tasks

You can use the Outlook 2007 Instant Search functionality to quickly locate tasks by searching on any text in the task or in a file attached to the task. Type the word or other information you want to find in the Search box in the Tasks pane header. Outlook filters the tasks as you type, displaying only those containing the search criteria you enter, and highlighting your search criteria in the task list and in the Reading Pane (if it is open).

See Also For more information about Instant Search, see "Quickly Locating Contact Information" in Chapter 2, "Managing Contact Information" and "Quickly Locating Messages" in Chapter 5, "Managing Your Inbox."

To help you organize your tasks, you can assign them to Color Categories in the same way that you do any other Outlook item.

See Also For more information about Color Categories, see "Organizing Contacts by Using Color Categories" in Chapter 2, "Managing Contact Information," and "Organizing Messages by Using Color Categories" in Chapter 5, "Managing Your Inbox."

If your task list gets too big, or if you want to maintain separate task lists for different purposes, you can organize tasks into separate folders. To create a folder that can contain tasks:

  1. On the Standard toolbar, in the New list, click Folder.

  2. In the Create New Folder dialog box, enter the name and select the location of the folder.

  3. In the Folder contains list, click Task Items, and then click OK.

If you try to move a task into a Mail, Calendar, Contact, or Note Items folder, a message, meeting, contact, or note window opens with the task's subject entered in the form.

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Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 Step by Step
The Time Management Toolkit: MicrosoftВ® Office OutlookВ® 2007 Step by Step and Take Back Your Life (Step By Step (Microsoft))
ISBN: 0735625840
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2007
Pages: 137

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