Usage Highlights Outlook 2007
From Provider Notes
For more information about ISC's Exchange Service, visit the Provider Web [1].
Microsoft Outlook 2007 Demo
A full online demo video on Outlook 2007 is available from Microsoft here.
Reading Pane
Outlook 2007 allow you to determine how your messages will appear in the default window. You can choose to display only a list of your messages, requiring you to open each one separately, or have a "reading pane" which displays the contents of a selected message. Go to View->Reading Pane to select the position of the pane (right or bottom) or turn it off completely. You can also toggle the reading pane on or off by the Reading Pane button in the toolbar.
Addressing to multiple addresses
In Outlook 2007, the default address separator is a semicolon when stringing multiple addresses together in an address field. Many users are accustomed to using a comma instead. To change the default, go to Tools -> Options -> Preferences tab -> Email heading -> Email Options button -> Advanced Email Options button -> under "When sending a message" click on "Allow comma as address separator."
Distribution Lists
To create an email distribution list, type Control+Shift+L or navigate to File->New->Distribution List. In the Name field, type what you would like to call the list. Use the Select Members or Add New buttons to populate your list. Press the Save and Close button when you have finished. When addressing a message to the list, type the name of the list in the To: field. Outlook will underline your list name in the address field when it has recognized it as a valid distribution list.
Setting Rules
Rules allow you to automatically perform certain actions when certain kinds of messages arrive in your Inbox. For example, a Rule can be set to move all items from a specific individual to a specific folder. To set a Rules, right-click a particular message (this uses the message as a template) or select Tools->Rules and Alerts (to manually create a rule from scratch). Its important to know that some rules are server-side and operate no matter which client you are using, while others are client-side and only operating on mail within a single client.
Email message templates
When you use Outlook, you can create a template or form to use when you send e-mail messages. If you create a template or a form, the e-mail messages that you send have the same format. Additional details can be found at Creating email templates in Exchange.
Signatures
Signatures can be automatically appended to any message you write, whether originals from you or replies to messages you receive. To set signatures (and the conditions under which they are appended) go to Tools->Options->Mail Format->Signatures. You can create separate default signatures for each separate account accessed by Outlook 2007, as well as create a palette of signatures from which to choose for one account (accessible from the Message or Insert tab of the message window when you are composing). An online demo of Signatures is available from Microsoft here.
Out-of-Office Replies
You can set Outlook 2007 to automatically send a reply to received messages when you will be out of the office and unable to check or respond to email messages that arrive in your absence. Go to Tools->Out of Office Assistant. Here you will be able to draft a specific reply message, have it sent indefinitely or within a specific timeframe, and determine who will receive the reply based on whether the sender is within your organization (i.e., on the same Exchange server) or outside your organization (i.e., anyone not on the same Exchange server). You can even draft separate messages to go to individuals outside your organization.
For more explicit instructions on configuring the Out of Office Assistant, please visit the following page:
How_to_set_Out_of_Office_messages_on_Exchange#Outlook_2007
Send/Receive Frequency
You can change the frequency of how often Outlook 2007 checks the serve for new email; go to Tools->Options->Mail Setup->Send/Receive and edit the schedules automatic send/receive. Of course, you can also initiate a Send/Receive manually via the Send/Receive button on Outlook's toolbar.
Spell Check
As other email clients, Outlook 2007 has a powerful spell checker included in the application. Certain features of the spell checker are customizable; go to Tools->Options->Spelling->Spelling and Auto-correction. Here you will be able to set kinds of words to ignore, whether to check grammar as well as spelling, and include specific words to interpret as correct (using Custom Dictionaries). (Note- the Auto-correct Options button will allow you to edit how Outlook tries to assist you by making corrections automatically.)
BCC and From Fields
You can display the Blind Carbon Copy and the From fields in a message you are composing by selecting the Options tab in the composition window.
Reply to Address
Sometimes, you may want replies to a message you write to go to a different email address. You can specify a "Reply-to" address in the Options tab in the composition window ("Direct Replies To").
On a new message, in the Options tab, click on the "Direct Replies To" button. On the dialog box that appears, your name and/or email will be highlighted in the "Have replies sent to:" field. Enter a colon, a space, and the email address(es) of the people to whom replies should be sent. Of course, you can always remove your name/email from the "Have replies sent to:" field if so desired.
Delivery Delay
Occasionally, you may want to compose a message but delay sending it until a specific time. You can set a Delivery Delay via the Options tab in the composition window.
Message Text Format
Sometimes, it is helpful to control the default text format of messages you compose, whether originals or replies to other messages you have received. For example, if you are copying and pasting text from another source, Outlook 2007 may retain the text format of your selected text block from the source when pasting it into your message. Or you may not be certain whether or not your recipient can view HTML-formatted messages. To control the text formatting used when you compose messages, go to Tools->Options->Mail Format. You can select a default text format for all composed messages and adjust the HTML settings for HTML-formatted text. In addition, you can also select Editor Options->Advanced to make more granular option choices regarding text format when copying and pasting. Finally, you can also alter the text format for individual messages from the Options and Format Text tabs of the message window when you are composing.
Original Message Text
When replying to or forwarding a message, you can control how the text of the original message appears; go to Tools->Options->Email Options, under "On Replies and Forwards."
Mail Tracking
Sometimes, you may want to be certain that a message was delivered or read. You can have Outlook request a Delivery or Read Receipt from the recipient to ensure your message got through. Go to Tools->Options->Preferences->Email Options->Tracking Options. Here, you can select the default behavior for Receipts to messages you send and how Outlook handles receipt requests you receive from others. You can also request a Receipt for an individual message from the Options tab of the message window when you are composing.
Calendar
Microsoft Outlook 2007 Calendar Demo
A full online demo video on customizing your calendar is available from Microsoft here. Also available from Microsoft are two quick guides about basic calendaring and using multiple calendars.
Marking an Event as Private
Marking an event as private prevents others from seeing the details. To mark something private, open the activity and click the Private button with the lock icon in the options panel at the top. To remove the privacy setting, click the button again.
Inviting Attendees who are using Exchange
It's easy to invite colleagues to a meeting you're proposing if they have an account on the Exchange Server. Simply enter the PennKey of the individual to whom you'd like to send an invitation in the "To:" field of the Appointment tab. If you are unsure of the invitees PennKey, simply click the "To:" field to select the invitee from resources such as your personal contact list or the Global Address Book.
Viewing Free/Busy time
To view the free and busy time for your invitees, select the "Scheduling" tab. In the right side of the Scheduling tab (as you add invitees to the meeting), Exchange will show you a listing of "Suggested Times" listing how many of your invitees are available for the various suggested times to help you quickly identify the next time all or most of the invitees are free.
NOTE: In order to view free/busy time for attendees, you must use the invitee's PennKey or select him or her from the Global Address book. Entering other addresses such as username@isc.upenn.edu, or username@upenn.edu will not permit you to view free/busy time for the invitees.
Inviting Attendees who are not using Exchange
When creating a meeting, it is possible to invite a participant who is not on ISC's Exchange Service. You will not be able to see the person's calendar details, to find their free and busy times, but you will be able to send them an invitation. To do so, just type their email address in the meeting attendees field. An email invitation will be sent to them and although it will not prompt them to accept or decline the meeting through their email client, it will include all the details about the meeting. If you cancel the meeting it will send them another message as well.
Sharing Calendars
Calendar Sharing allows you to permit other Exchange users to see your calendar and provides a way for you to see their calendars as well. To share your calendar with someone else, click "Share My Calendar" in the Calendar pane; an email invitation will appear which can be addressed to any Exchange user. Once the invitation is accepted, the other individual(s) will have the ability to view (but not edit) your calendar. Likewise, once you have accepted an invitation to view another's shared calendar, you will be able to view the shared calendar. Select "Open a Shared Calendar" in the Calendar pane and select the individuals whose calendars you wish to see (this will populate a checkbox list of individuals). To view another individual's shared calendar, select the checkbox next to the name of the other individual in "People's Calendars"; a copy of their calendar will appear next to your own. (NOTE: Sharing calendars is not to be confused with Delegation- allowing another individual proxy access to edit your calendar. Sharing allows view-only access.) Additional details about Sharing & Delegation can be found in the Usage Highlights Sharing & Delegation document.
Event Reminders
Event reminders give you a visual and audio alert when a scheduled event is soon to occur. You can set a default reminder time for all calendar events (Tools->Options) or select individual reminders when adding an event to your calendar
Categories
Outlook 2007 handles categories and labels differently than previous versions of Outlook. If you are upgrading to Outlook 2007 and made use of calendar lables in the past, you should consult How categories and calendar labels from earlier versions are updated for Office Outlook 2007 to learn how Outlook 2007 will convert your existing calendar labels.
For additional instructions for using and modifying categories see Outlook Categories & Labels.
Meeting Attendees
You can quickly view or edit a list of attendees for a meeting on your calendar by opening the event and selecting "Scheduling Assistant".
Calendar Display
The calendar display in Outlook 2007 can be edited in a number of ways. You can elect to only display the work week (Mon - Fri) or to include weekend days, as well set the first day of the week (Tools->Options->Calendar Options->Calendar Work Week). Many Penn users collaborate with individuals in other countries; you can elect to have international holidays displayed on your calendar (Tools->Options->Calendar Options->Add Holidays). You can also display your calendar under different calendar types, such as the Hebrew lunar calendar (Tools->Options->Calendar Options->Enable Alternate Calendar (checkbox), and select the desired calendar type).
Sharing Contacts
Visit Microsoft's web site for step by step instructions about how to share a contacts folder with others and how to open another person's contacts in Outlook 2007. Other notes of interest:
- In both Outlook 2003 and 2007, the only contacts that get pushed down to Blackberries are those that are stored in the owner’s exchange account on the server. However, you can create in both clients multiple contact folders within the Exchange account, which are then consolidated in the Blackberry address book. On the other hand, preliminary testing shows that only the default contact folder is pushed down to Windows Mobile devices.
- Contacts stored locally, like in Personal Folders, do not get pushed down to Blackberry devices, nor can they be shared with other users.
- Outlook 2007 users can share among other Outlook 2007 users both their default contacts folder and any others that they create in their Exchange Account. However, 2003 users can only share to others (and see) the default contact folder, not the additional ones created.
- Contacts shared by others are not pushed down to Blackberries or other PDAs. Users would need to manually copy contacts into a folder that does push to the device in order to access it on a PDA.
- Users can send contacts through email attachments that can be saved in the recipients’ contact folder.
