1. Select Tools → Options from
the menu and click the Mail Format tab.
2. Click the Compose in this
message format arrow, and
select the desired message format.
3. Click OK.
To Enable/Disable Microsoft Word to Read and/or Write E- mails in Outlook:
1. Select Tools → Options from the menu and click the Mail Format tab.
2. Check or uncheck either of the
two the Microsoft Word checkboxes according to your personal preferences.
3. Click OK.
1
111..
ClickCancel
to close the Font dialog box without making any changes.1
122..
Close the message window without saving your changes.Lesson 8-10: Changing the Message Format and Using Word
People in different countries speak different languages, so it makes sense that e-mail programs use and understand different types of message formats. And, just like some people can speak more than one language, many e-mail programs—including Microsoft Outlook—can read and write in different message formats. Microsoft Outlook is actually somewhat of a linguistic expert and can create messages in three different formats, as shown in Table 8-3: Available
Message Formats.
So, which one of the formats listed in Table 8-3: Available Message Formats should you use? That’s a decision you’ll have to make, and it will depend on which formatting features are important to you and to whom you send your e-mail messages. If you have Office 2003, you can (and probably should) use Microsoft Word to compose and read your e-mail messages. Microsoft Word has many helpful features that Outlook doesn’t, such as on-the-fly spelling and grammar checking, AutoCorrect and AutoFormat options, and access to your AutoText entries.
Here’s how to specify the default message format and e-mail editor:
1
1..
SelectTools
→Options
from the menu and click theMail Format tab
.The Options dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 8-17. Here’s how to change Outlook’s default message format:
2
2..
Click theCompose in this message format
arrow.This list contains the formats that you can use to create your new messages. Table 8-3: Available Message Formats gives a detailed description of each of these messages, including the formatting features and the pros and cons of using them. For now, you can leave the message format as it is.
Next, let’s see how to tell Outlook that you want to use Word 2003 to read and/or write e-mail messages.
3
3..
If desired, check and/or uncheck either of the twoMicrosoft Word
options according to your preferences.That’s all there is to it!
4
4..
Close the Options dialog box.Here’s some information about the various message formats available to Microsoft Outlook:
Figure 8-16
Font and paragraph formatting are not available for messages in Plain Text format.
Figure 8-17
You can change the default message format by selecting Tools → Options from the menu, clicking the Mail Format tab, and selecting the message format.
Figure 8-17
Select the e-mail format that you want to use for new messages. See Table 8-3: Available Message Formats for a description of each of the available options.
The Formatting toolbar is available for HTML and Rich Text messages. The Formatting toolbar is not available for messages in Plain Text format.
Figure 8-16
Specify whether or not you want to use Microsoft Word to edit and/or read e-mail messages (strongly recommended if you have Word 2003 installed on your system).
Table 8-3: Available Message Formats
Format Description
HTML HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) is the same language that is used to create web pages. HTML gives you many formatting options and is compatible with most e-mail programs.
Formatting Options Available: Text and paragraph formatting, numbering, bullets, alignment,
horizontal lines, backgrounds, HTML styles, and Web pages.
Pros: Compatible with most e-mail programs.
Cons: Older e-mail programs may not recognize HTML formatted messages and there are some
minor privacy and security issues.
Rich Text Rich Text is a good in-between message format that has a moderate amount of text formatting and it is compatible with virtually all e-mail programs.
Formatting Options Available: Text formatting, alignment, and bullets. Pros: Compatible with most e-mail programs.
Cons: Older e-mail programs may not recognize these messages.
Plain Text Plain Text is the most compatible message format and can be understood by all e-mail programs— even older ones. Because Plain Text messages have no formatting, the Formatting toolbar is disabled when you’re working with them.
Formatting Options Available: None.
Pros: Universally understood by all e-mail programs. Cons: No formatting options.
Lesson 8-11: Viewing the Mail Window
Outlook offers various options for viewing your Mail window. These views enable you to see any or all of the following: the toolbars, a preview of your messages, the Status Bar, the Reading Pane, and the Navigation Pane. Being able to show or hide these elements of your screen allows you to play with your workspace and arrange it to suit your needs. In this lesson, we will explore the options available in the View menu of the Mail window.
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1..
Click theMail button
in the Navigation Pane.The Inbox appears. Let’s say that you’re going to stay in the Mail window for awhile. You want to maximize your workspace, so we’re going to hide the Navigation Pane.
2
2..
SelectView
→Navigation Pane
from the menu. Figure 8-18Different options for viewing your Mail window.
Mail button
Figure 8-18
Standard Toolbar Web Toolbar
Advanced Toolbar
Navigation Pane
Status Bar
Chapter Eight: Advanced E-mail Features
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The University of Salford
Quick Reference Access the Mail Window Viewing Options:
• Select View from the menu bar and select the viewing options from the menu.
3
3..
SelectView
→Navigation Pane
from the menu.The Navigation Pane reappears in the Mail window.
When you are busy, you don’t want to waste your time muddling through unimportant e-mails, such as forwards, but it’s hard to say what the e-mail is about without opening it. Outlook offers a solution with the AutoPreview view.
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4..
SelectView
→AutoPreview
from the menu.AutoPreview view displays messages in a list and shows the first three lines of each unread message to give you a hint as to which messages you want to read.
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5..
SelectView
→AutoPreview
from the menu.Your Inbox is once again displayed in its normal mode.
Use the same procedure to hide or display the Status Bar and toolbars as you did for the Navigation Pane. To see how they appear in the window, refer to Figure 8-18, or go ahead and try it out!
Sometimes, you have a lot of important e-mails in your Inbox that you do not want to delete. They can consume your Inbox and make it look very busy. We’re going to learn how to expand and collapse the e-mail groups in your Inbox.
6
6..
SelectView
→Expand/Collapse Groups
→Expand All Groups
from the menu.All of the groups are maximized. If you have an excess of e-mails in your Inbox, you have a lot of information displayed on your screen. Let’s condense the Today Group.