Tips and tools for managing the new interface Microsoft Outlook 2007 Tips and tools for managing the new interface

Topics that will be covered: Views Personal Folders Calendar Tasks Categories

Presentation Format For each topic, there will be a section header At this point in the presentation, we will pause to make sure everyone is on the same page and understands the material up to that point Each pause will be limited as far as the amount of time given to each topic There are 5 topics divided by 90 minutes, which is approximately 18 minutes per topic Because of this time constraint, please keep your questions brief

Views The first section header. There are many changes in this new version, including a more visual user interface than in previous versions. 

Viewing Outlook How busy is your view? Is it distracting? Are your eyes drawn to what needs to be done?

Outlook Panes Dissected Starting at the right, the To-Do Bar can be a very handy visual in your busy schedule.

This is the To-Do Bar minimized. The To-Do Bar can be viewed minimized. The easiest way to do this, is to click the double arrow >> to toggle the minimized view. This is the To-Do Bar minimized.

Toggling Views 1 Go to View 2 To-Do Bar 3 Click to put a checkmark on Minimized, to turn this view off, click to put a checkmark on Normal (the default view) 4 To turn the To-Do Bar off, click to put a checkmark on Off, or use the keyboard shortcut Alt + F2 The To-Do Bar can be a valuable visual in your active workweek. From the View menu you can customize this feature.

To-Do Bar Views By clicking the following items – the view is toggled off or on: Date Navigator Appointments Task List

To-Do Bar Options View >> To-Do Bar >> Options For the Date Navigator, you can change the number of months you see. Four is about as many months that will fit into the screen. For Appointments, this can be useful to show more than the default of three, depending on how busy your workday is. For the Task List, the options are simple – show it or don’t show it.

Outlook Panes Dissected In the middle (left of the To-Do Bar), the Reading Pane can give you a quick look at an e-mail message; although it takes up real estate space.

The Reading Pane This view is showing the Reading Pane to the right of the Inbox and left of the To-Do Bar

The Reading Pane This view is showing the Reading Pane at the bottom, underneath the Inbox

The Reading Pane From the View menu, follow the Reading Pane arrow over to Off

Outlook Panes Dissected To the left of the Outlook window is the Navigation Pane, which provides centralized navigation and easy access to sharing features. This pane also toggles to be minimized.

The Navigation Pane This shows the Navigation Pane minimized.

The Navigation Pane The Navigation Pane can be toggled off/on in the same manner as the To-Do Bar; use the double arrow >> to minimize or expand your Navigation Pane.

This is a larger look at what the series of dots look like. The Navigation Pane This is a larger look at what the series of dots look like. In the Navigation Pane where you see a series of dots, by hovering with your mouse, wait for the double arrow to click and drag up. This will expand the available shortcuts, which can be customized.

Navigation Pane Options Arrow click >> Navigation Pane Options This is where you can change how the buttons are displayed in the Navigation Pane

Folder List - Tools Double Arrow click (to right of All Folders) >> Folder Sizes To check your Folder sizes that are stored on the Exchange Server, follow the steps above. You will see a similar dialog box.

Folder List Data Files Double Arrow click >> (to right of All Folders) Data File Management To check your Folder sizes for Personal Folders (.pst), follow the steps above. You will see a similar dialog box. For reasons unknown to me, the Mailbox – username, displays

Data Files – Tools Data Files By selecting a data file in the list, you can then click Settings for more details or Open Folder to view the contents. Note: the Filename is different from the Name – this is what is displayed in the Folder List

Personal Folders

Personal Folders - Archives Tools >> Account Settings… >> Data Files tab Add… By clicking on Add, the dialog box to the right will come up. Choose the default Type of storage; as it provides a larger storage capacity – although it is not compatible with pervious versions of Outlook. To create

Personal Folders - Archives Create or Open Outlook Data File Where it says Save in: use the drop-down arrow to select your I:\ drive and name your file something meaningful – the default is Personal Folders.pst

Name Personal Folder Name: Once you have named the file, you will be prompted to name the Folder. It may seem as though you have already named this Personal Folder, but what you were naming was the file itself. Note: It is not advisable to apply a password to this Folder, unless you are very good at managing your passwords.

Tools >> Options >> Other AutoArchive… In the past this function was turned on by default. As a result, some folks may have .pst files and not know it. To find out if you have archived files from Outlook, you can do a Search for *.pst

Tools >> Options >> Other AutoArchive… If you see a checkmark where it says, Run AutoArchive every you will want to uncheck this; unless you change the Default folder settings for archiving. I find it easier to control this myself by creating my own Personal Folder and choosing when and what I want to put inside it.

Personal Folders AutoArchive… The example to the left shows a Personal Folder in action with several folders and nested folders within it.

Calendar

Outlook Calendar Outlook 2007 has many ways to view yours and other calendars. The new version makes it easier to prioritize and control your time.

Make a Calendar Appointment on the fly! Select – Hold – Drag Left-single-click to select an e-mail Hold and drag the e-mail to your Calendar This opens a new Appointment Accept the default name (e-mail subject line) then, Save & Close Editing is optional

Calendar View by Month What you see in gold is Outlook’s way of showing you where you are visually. Notice that there is a red box around today’s date. Also note, that Details are on High.

Calendar View by Week In this view, you can see where applying Categories could be a useful tool. Notice that there is a red box around today’s date.

Calendar View by Day If you have a very busy day, this view could be useful in helping you stay on track.

Tasks

Tasks Tasks can help you on your way to being more organized and to let you know what needs to be done.

Tasks To create a new Task, go to the Navigation Pane and click on Tasks from the Shortcut Menu Then, click on New.

Tasks Category Applied Once the Task is created you can send it as a task request to someone. The person who receives the task request becomes the temporary owner of the task. The temporary owner can: (1) decline the task, (2) accept the task, or (3) assign the task to someone else. Category Applied If the task is declined, it is returned to you.

Tasks This view is showing the Tasks or To-Do List for the next seven days. The radio button that is selected under Current View can show you several ways to view your Tasks.

Tasks This view is showing the Tasks or To-Do List for the next seven days. The radio button that is selected under Current View can show you several ways to view your Tasks.

Tasks This view is showing the Tasks or To-Do List for the next seven days. The radio button that is selected under Current View can show you several ways to view your Tasks.

Categories

Categories Calendar View

Categories To the right, is an edited Category List, displaying many more choices then the default list. You can change a Category Name as well as assign a new color, or shortcut key combination. By right-clicking an e-mail message in the Category field, you can quickly assign a Color Category .

Categories For a New Category, click on New Select a Category, then click Rename Select a Category to Delete

Add New Category Name your Category Choose a color Apply a Shortcut Key combination for a frequently used Category and click OK when finished

Color Categories Easily add a Category by clicking on New… Easily rename a Category by clicking on Rename Create a Shortcut Key for frequently used Categories Default Categories with colors as names. Blue, green, orange, purple, red, & yellow. New > Rename > Shortcut Key

Changing Category Colors In the Add New Category dialog box, Name: your Category For Color:, choose any color that seems suitable for your new Category Default Categories with colors as names. Blue, green, orange, purple, red, & yellow. New > Rename > Shortcut Key. It’s easy to add Categories , with a range of 30 colors to choose from, this is a good way to organize your e-mail.

Categories Under Inbox, e-mail is Arranged By: Categories You can Sort by A on top or Z on top Under the To-Do Bar section, upcoming dates show Category colors Outlook view showing Arranged By: Categories, also Sort option from A to Z or Z to A. To-Do Bar showing Category colors.

Thank you for your attention. cmccurdy@sccd.ctc.edu If anyone has any suggestions or comments about this or future workshops, please contact me at the following e-mail address: cmccurdy@sccd.ctc.edu