•
Use categories
•
Manage categories
•
Use Instant Search
•
Use advanced search tools
•
Create search folders
USING CATEGORIES
Discussion
Colour adds visibility and organisation to your Outlook items. Colour categories can be assigned to almost all items in Outlook, which enables you to quickly identify them and associate them with related items. For example, categorise with the same colour all the emails and appointments about a particular project that you are working on.
You can assign more than one colour category to messages, or use Quick Click to assign a preferred colour to messages. The Quick Click colour is assigned to an item when you click the Categories column for the item in your Inbox or other table view. By default this is red but you can set this colour to one of your choice.
Categorised emails in Compact View Categorised emails in tabular (list view
Categories tasks
Categorised appointments
Categorised items also show the category colour in the information bar when opened in their own window (double-click).
Category colour in an appointment info bar
Double categorised email information bar (in Reading Pane)
A colour category must be in the colour category list before you can assign it. If a colour category is not listed, you can create a new colour category (see page 44) and assign it to an item for the first time. You can also choose from several default colour categories and rename them to be more meaningful to you. You can access the categories list by right clicking an
item and selecting Categorize ► from the shortcut menu.
Shortcut menu and default categories list
Procedure
To assign a colour category to a closed message
1. Right-click in the information viewer, the message you wish to categorise.
2. Point to Categorize....
3. Click a colour category.
To assign a colour category to an open message
1. Select the Message tab.
2. In the Tags group, click Categorize.
To see more categories or to create a category
1. Select All Categories... in the colour categories list.
2. Click the check box next to the required colour category. The Color Categories
dialog box is also a quick way to assign multiple categories to an item.
The first time that you assign a default colour category to an item, you'll be prompted to rename the category. At this time, you can also change the colour of the category and choose a keyboard shortcut.
Assign a Quick Click category to an email
Click the category box (or category column if in tabular view) in the row of the message that you want to categorise.
Set a Quick Click category
1. Select the Home tab.
2. In the Tags group, click Categorize, and then click Set Quick Click....
3. In the Set Quick Click dialog box, in the drop-down list, select a colour category.
Tip
From an open message, you can click Set Quick Click on the
Categorize menu to set the default colour category for all future
messages, not just the message that is selected.
MANAGING CATEGORIES
Discussion
As described above, colour categories enable you to easily identify and group associated items in Microsoft Outlook. By default, six colours are provided for you to use but you can increase that number to 25.
You can also rename categories to something more meaningful to you or, delete those that you no longer need and re-use them for another purpose. This flexibility enables you to design a colour category system that fits your personal work style.
Procedures
To create a new colour category
1. In any view, select he Home tab.
2. In the Tags group, click Categorize... and then click All Categories....
NB: For calendar items, the Tags group appears on the Appointment or Meeting
tab. For an open contact or task, the Tags group appears on the Contact or Task
tab.
3. Click New.
4. In the Name box, type a name for the new colour category.
5. Click the arrow next to Color, click the colour that you want.
6. If you want to assign a keyboard shortcut, in the Shortcut Key list, click a shortcut.
7. Click OK.
8. Click OK.
To rename a colour category
1. In any view, select he Home tab.
2. In the Tags group, click Categorize... and then click All Categories....
NB: For calendar items, the Tags group appears on the Appointment or Meeting
tab. For an open contact or task, the Tags group appears on the Contact or Task
tab.
4. Type the new name for the colour category, and then press [Enter]. To delete a colour category
1. In any view, select he Home tab.
2. In the Tags group, click Categorize... and then click All Categories....
NB: For calendar items, the Tags group appears on the Appointment or Meeting
tab. For an open contact or task, the Tags group appears on the Contact or Task
tab.
3. Click a category, and then click Delete.
4. Click Yes.
5. Click OK.
USING INSTANT SEARCH
Discussion
Instant Search helps you quickly find items in Microsoft Outlook. The Instant Search box is
always available at the top of all of your Outlook folders, eg. Mail, Calendar, Tasks, and Contacts.
You search the current folder by typing keywords into the InstantSearch box. Instant Search
searches for the keywords in the commonly-used fields for the items in that folder and immediately shows you the results in the information viewer below, highlighting in yellow where the word(s) is/are found.
As soon as you click in the Instant Search box, you will also see a new tab appear at the right of the Ribbon – Search Tools > Search.
Instant Search box below is searching for emails containing the word team AND that have attachments.
Tip
In Instant Search box you can change the keyword that follows has attachment. If you change true to pptx, it will find messages containing the word “team” AND containing PowerPoint presentations only. Eg. Use docx for Word and xlsx for Excel.
If you want to do an Instant search for messages from a specific person, click From at
the left of the Refine group and enter the name of the recipient in the Instant Search box.
Result will show messages from the specified person.
Click More in the Refine group to unleash additional search criteria options. These
appear as boxes below the Instant Search box and named the “Query Builder.”
Instant Search box with Query Builder below
The search query syntax, available when the Instant Search is enabled, follows this basic
form: keyword:your search criteria value. For example, from:bobby. You can also use logical
the table. Logical operators must be typed in uppercase letters. See Appendix B on page xx for a table of examples for searches you might find useful.
In the Options group of the Search Tools tab, click Recent Searchesto view previously used
search keywords and criteria. Your 10 most recent searches are saved and can be reused.
Procedure
Carry out a basic search
1. Select the folder that you want to search.
2. In the Instant Search box, type your search text.
3. Items that contain the text that you typed appear with the search text highlighted.
4. To narrow your search, type more characters.
5. To widen your search to include all folders, at the end of the search results, click
.
6. When you are finished with the search, you can clear the search by clicking Close
Search next to the Instant Search box or, Close Search at the right of the Search Tools tab on the Ribbon.
Tip
To return the insertion point to the Instant Search box, press CTRL+E.Tip
Attachments are searched, but search results from attachments are not highlighted. Add more search criteria1. Conduct a basic search as described above; note the addition of the Search Tools
NB. Search fields that you add are specific to where you are within Outlook, such as Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, Folder List, or Journal. The search fields are also specific to the Outlook profile that you are currently using.
Tip
You can set preferences for how Outlook conducts an Instant Search in Outlook Options (File > Options > Search pane)
.
USING ADVANCED FIND
Discussion
Although Instant Search is easy and quick to use, your search may be so specific and
focussed on elaborate criteria that the Advanced Find dialog box may offer a more user-
friendly solution for finding the required items.
When using the Advanced Find, results are displayed in a pane below the dialog box.
The Advanced Find dialog box
Criteria for the search is entered into one, two or all of the tabs, viz. Messages, More
Choices, Advanced.
• The Messages tab contains criteria on the message content or properties, such as sender, keywords, or recipients.
• The More Choices tab contains criteria on other message conditions, such as importance, flags, attachments, or categorisation.
• The Advanced tab enables you to make detailed criteria. Under Define more criteria, click Field, click the type of criterion that you want, and then click the specific
criterion from the list. Then in the Condition box and the Value box, click the options
that you want, and then click Add to List. Repeat for each criterion that you want to
add to this search folder, and then click OK.
NB the three tabs have a ”cumulative” effect. If, for example, you enter team in the Search
for the word(s): box of the Messages tab and Red in the Categories: box of the More Choices tab, messages found will have to match BOTH those criteria.
Tip
Always click New Search to ensure any existing criteria is cleared from ALL tabs. when conducting a new searchProcedure
1. In any view, click in the Instant Search box to activate the Search Tools contextual
tab.
2. Select the SearchTools command.
3. Select Advanced Find....
4. Click the Look for: drop list and select the type of Outlook item to search for.
5. Click the Browse... button to specify a folder to search.
6. Enter criteria for the search in any of the three tabs (Messages: More Choices:
Advanced).
7. Click Find Now . Search results are displayed below the dialog box.
8. Close the Advanced Find dialog box when finished.
CREATING SEARCH FOLDERS
Discussion
A Search Folder is a special storage area that does not actually hold items, but provides a view of all email items that match specific search criteria.
When you open a Search Folder, a list of items appears in the Information Viewer. The list is grouped by folder name and sorted by date in descending order. You can then read, move, reply to, forward, delete, etc. the item as you would normally.
Outlook comes with various pre-defined search folders that can be added to the list. For example, the Unread Mail Search Folder enables you to view all unread messages in one place, even though the messages might actually be stored in different folders.
NB Search Folders can’t contain search results from multiple Outlook Data Files (.pst).
Search Folders support prefix matching in the text strings that you specify. For example, if you want to include all messages that contain the word "rain" in a Search Folder, the Search Folder also includes messages that contain words such as "raining" or "rainy." Words such as "brain," however, are excluded.
Search Folders remain active for 8 days, and then stop searching until you use the folder again.
There is a limit to the number of Search folder available with Exchange accounts
Procedures
Add a predefined Search Folder
1. Select Mail in the Navigation Pane.
2. Right-click Search Folders at the bottom of the folder list.
3. Click New Search Folder… .
4. From the Select a Search Folder list, click the Search Folder you want to add.
5. If prompted, under Customize Search Folder, specify the search criteria to use, eg.
if selecting the Mail from specific people Search Folder, you will need to enter
who the people are.
6. To select a different mailbox to search, under Customize Search Folder, click the
arrow at the Search mail in box, and then select the mailbox from the list (usually
unnecessary in a corporate environment).
Tip
The keyboard shortcut to create a Search Folder is CTRL+SHIFT+P.Tip
To change the criteria for a Search Folder, right-click the folder in the Navigation Pane, click Customize this Search Folder, click
Criteria, and then change the criteria. The criteria of Search Folders in
the Reading Mail group can’t be changed. Create a custom Search Folder
1. Select Mail in the Navigation Pane.
2. Right-click Search Folders at the bottom of the folder list.
3. Click New Search Folder… .
4. Scroll to the bottom of the Select a Search Folder list.
5. Select Create a custom Search Folder.
6. Under Customize Search Folder, click Choose.
7. Type a name for your custom Search Folder.
8. Click Criteria, and then select the options that you want. See Advanced Find on
page 48 for details on how to use this dialog box.
9. Click Browse.
10. Select the folder(s) that you want to be searched.
IMPORTING DATA INTO AN OUTLOOK FOLDER
Discussion
Outlook allows you to import information from other files. In this way, you can update your Outlook folders with data from other data sources such as Excel, Access and text files. You can also import vCard and vCalendar files, RSS Feeds, as well as Internet mail account settings.
The Import and Export Wizard
Outlook examines the file you are importing and compares the fields in it to the field names used in the destination folder. Although Outlook does a pretty good job at matching the field
names, it doesn’t always get it right! It is important, therefore, to “Map” the fields in the final
step of the Import a File dialog box. This ensures that Outlook will understand clearly how
to import the desired data into its equivalent field.
For example, Outlook uses the names Business Street, Business Town, Business Post Code
to store addresses in the Contacts folder. If the data you are importing uses, for example,
Street, City, and Pcode for the same fields, you will need to map them to ensure a successful import.
Mapping address fields for importing contacts
The Import command in the File tab
Tip
You or your IT department may need to install the Outlook converters to import data from other programs.Tip
If you are importing data from a Microsoft Excel file, you must first include the data in a Named Range. The file must also be in
Excel 97-2003 format.
Procedures
1. Select the File tab.
2. Click Open.
3. Click Import .
4. Select the desired action from the Choose an action to perform list box.
5. Click Next.
6. Select the desired file type from the Select file type to import from list box.
7. Click Next.
8. Click Browse....
9. Navigate to and select the file you want to import.
10. Click OK.
11. Select the desired option under Options.
12. Click Next.
13. Select the desired destination folder from the Select destination folder list box.
14. Click Next.
15. Select Map Custom Fields.
16. To include a destination field, not already mapped, drag its name from the left list
box to the appropriate field in the right list box. 17. Click OK.
EXPORTING OUTLOOK DATA
Discussion
If you have data in Outlook that other users want to access in a different software program, you can export Outlook data to a different file format. Each Outlook folder, however, must be exported separately.
Supported file types include text files, Access and Excel. If you are exporting data to a Microsoft Word or PowerPoint file, you need to use the comma-separated or tab-separated file type.
The Import and Export Wizard
Outlook exports all fields in the selected folder to the destination file. Since there may be many fields in a folder in which you do not currently have data, or do not need, you may want to exclude those fields from being imported. If you want to modify or remove fields before exporting your Outlook data, you can do so in the Map Custom Fields dialog box. If
there are a large number of fields in a folder, you may find it easier to choose the Clear Map
option and then specify only those fields you want to export. If you previously used a custom
map, you can select the Default Map button to return to the default settings.
Procedures
1. Select the File tab.
2. Click Open.
3. Click Import .
4. Select the action you want to perform from the Choose an action to perform list
box. 5. Click Next.
6. Select the desired file type from the Create a file of type list box.
7. Click Next.
8. Select the folder you want to export from the Select folder to export from list box.
9. Click Next. 10. Click Browse....
11. Navigate to the location where you want to create the exported file and name it.
12. Click OK. 13. Click Next.
14. Click Map Custom Fields to modify the fields to be exported.
15. To remove a destination field, drag it from the right list box to the left list box or
select Clear Map to remove all destination fields.
16. To add a field from the source to the destination file, drag its name from the left list
box to the right list box. 17. Click OK.
18. Click Finish.