
Windows 98 Installation & Configuration Handbook


- 21 -
Configuring Outlook Express
by Rob Tidrow
Viewing and Modifying the Outlook
Express Window
New in Windows 98 is Outlook Express, software you can use for your messaging
needs, including sending and receiving Internet email messages, participating in
newsgroups, managing address books, and performing other communications needs. Outlook
Express replaces the Windows Messaging and Microsoft Exchange clients available with
Windows 95.
When you initially launch Outlook Express, the Internet Connection Wizard appears.
If you've already set up an Internet connection, Windows 98 does not display the
wizard; instead, Outlook Express appears. If you need to set up a connection, however,
work through the Internet Connection Wizard, which also helps you fill out critical
Outlook Express information, including your Internet email and newsgroup information.
After you run the Internet Connection Wizard, you can usually start using Outlook
Express without any other setup required. If you bypass the Connection Wizard or
want to reconfigure Outlook Express, you do so within Outlook Express itself.
One of the first configuration options you encounter with Outlook Express is setting
your connection option. As Outlook Express launches, you see the dialog box shown
in Figure 21.1. Here you can select the default connection you want Outlook Express
to use upon startup. If you want to start Outlook Express so that it does not dial
a connection, select Don't Dial A Connection from the Select the Connection
You Would Like To Dial drop-down list. If you want to specify a connection method,
such as a Dial-Up Networking connection, select the connection from the drop-down
list.
FIG. 21.1 You can select
a connection for Outlook Express to use during startup.
To make your selection the default connection, click the Set As the Default
Startup Connection option.
For now, click Cancel to start Outlook Express to work offline.
The Outlook Express window then appears (see Figure 21.2). It is divided into
three panes (you may need to click the Inbox folder to display all three panes).
The folder list pane includes your mail folders, newsgroup server names, and newsgroups.
You can use this pane to navigate quickly among these items and open them in the
message list pane. In this pane, you can view email message headers and newsgroups
to which you're subscribed. In the preview pane, you can read the body of email or
newsgroup messages.
FIG. 21.2 The main window
of Outlook Express contains three panes.
NOTE: Showing you how to use Outlook Express is beyond the scope
of this book. Consult Special Edition Windows 98 for more information on using
Outlook Express.
You can customize the Outlook Express window in a number of ways, as shown in
the following sections.
Changing the Position of the Preview
Pane
The preview pane enables you to view a message quickly without opening a separate
window. This pane is located below the message list pane by default. You can, however,
change it so that the preview pane appears next to the message list pane.
To change the preview pane position, follow these steps:
- 1. Select View, Layout. The Window Layout Properties dialog
box appears( see Figure 21.3).
2. In the Preview Pane area, select Beside Message to have the pane appear
to the right of the message list pane.
3. Click OK. The preview pane then changes its position.
To return the preview pane back to its original position, select the Below
Messages option in step 2.
TIP: To resize an individual pane, grab the separator and move it
left or right, or up and down.
FIG. 21.3 Use the Window
Layout Properties dialog box to reposition the preview pane.
Turning Off the Preview Pane
If you want to view the body of your messages only in a separate window, you can
turn off the preview pane. When you do so, the message list pane expands to fill
the entire right side of the Outlook Express window.
To turn off the preview pane, do the following:
- 1. Select View, Layout.
2. In the Preview Pane area, deselect the Use Preview Pane option. The
other preview pane options dim, making them unavailable until you turn the preview
pane back on again.
3. Click OK. The preview pane is now gone, and any time you want to view a message,
you need to double-click its subject in the message list pane.
Moving and Customizing the Toolbar
By default, the Outlook Express toolbar appears at the top of the window, just
below the menu bar. If you want to move the toolbar, you can using the Window Layout
Properties dialog box (select View, Layout).
From this dialog box, select Left, Bottom, or Right, to change
the toolbar position (Top is the default).
If you don't have the Window Layout Properties dialog box open, right-click the
toolbar and select Align and the alignment option (Left, Right, Top,
or Bottom).
Another toolbar customization chore you can perform from the Window Layout Properties
dialog box is to turn off text for each button by deselecting the Show Text
On Toolbar Buttons option. You also can right-click the toolbar and select Text
Labels.
You also can change the buttons that appear on your toolbar. Click the Customize
Toolbar button to display the Customize Toolbar dialog box (see Figure 21.4). Select
a button in the Available Buttons list to add to your toolbar and then click
Add. Doing so places this button on your toolbar. Use the Move Up and
Move Down buttons to arrange the button where you want it. You also can select
a button in the Toolbar Buttons list and click Remove to delete the
button from the toolbar. To add a separate bar between buttons, select the Separator
item in the Available Buttons list. Click Close when finished. Finally,
if you want to return the toolbar to its original state, click Reset.
FIG. 21.4 The Customize
Toolbar dialog box provides a set of buttons you can use on the Outlook Express toolbar.
TIP: To display the Customize Toolbar quickly, right-click the toolbar
and select Buttons.
Making Outlook Express Look Like
Outlook 97
If you use Outlook 97, which was distributed as part of the Microsoft Office 97
suite, you may have become accustomed to seeing and using the Outlook Bar that sits
on the far left of the Outlook window. You can display the Outlook Bar on the Outlook
Express window as well. Open the Window Layout Properties dialog box, and select
the Outlook Bar option in the Basic area. If you turn on the Outlook Bar,
the folder list pane is no longer needed. Turn it off by selecting Folder
List.
Finally, to round out the transformation to Outlook 97, add the Folder Bar to
the window so that it sits above the top of the message pane. Do so by selecting
Folder Bar. Then click OK. The results of your changes are shown in Figure 21.5.
Configuring Outlook Express
Not only can you modify the appearance of Outlook Express, but you also can change
its configuration settings. Next, select Tools, Options to display
the Options dialog box (see Figure 21.6) for Outlook Express. This dialog box provides
access to properties you can set for Outlook Express. The following sections discuss
each of the tabs and their options.
FIG. 21.5 The Outlook
Bar and Folder Bar make Outlook Express look more like Outlook 97.
FIG. 21.6 Use the Options
dialog box to configure Outlook Express features and preferences.
Modifying General Options
The following options are available on the General tab:
- Check for New Messages Every x Minutes. Set the number of
minutes you want Outlook Express to check for new email automatically. The default
setting is 30 minutes, but you may want to change this setting to a value that is
more conducive to your mail patterns.
- Play Sound When New Messages Arrive. Use this option to set
Outlook Express to play a sound when new messages arrive in your Inbox folder.
- Empty Messages from the `Deleted Items' Folder on Exit. Select
this option if you want to remove messages from the Deleted Items folder each time
you exit Outlook Express. If you keep this option unselected, the Deleted Items folder
retains every message you have deleted from another folder.
- Automatically Put People I Reply To in My Address Book.
When you reply to a person via email, this option specifies that the recipient's
name and email address be automatically added to your address book. This feature
is handy if you have a habit of forgetting to include users' email addresses manually.
- Make Outlook Express My Default E-Mail Program. If you have
more than one email program, such as separate ones for interoffice mail, Internet
email, and online service email, you can establish Outlook Express as your primary
one by using this option. By doing so, Outlook Express launches when you click an
email message hyperlink in an HTML document or select an email program in your Web
browser.
- Make Outlook Express My Default Simple MAPI Client.
If you choose this option, Outlook Express is your default email program when you
select the Send command from an application's File menu. An example of this is if
you choose File, Send in Microsoft Word. When you set this option, you disable the
Outlook 97 or Microsoft Exchange (also known as Windows Messaging) mail clients.
- Make Outlook Express My Default News Reader. You can
make Outlook Express your main news reader by selecting this option. When you click
an NNTP URL in an HTML document or select a news program in your Web browser, Outlook
Express appears.
- When Starting, Go Directly to My `Inbox' Folder. If you want
Outlook Express to start by displaying the Inbox folder, use this option. You also
can set this option on the first page that appears when you start Outlook Express
if you click the When Starting, Go Directly To My `Inbox' Folder option.
- Notify Me If There Are Any New Newsgroups. Use this option
if you want Outlook Express to notify you when the news server you've attached to
has new newsgroups in it.
- Automatically Display Folders with Unread Messages. If you
have subfolders with unread messages, the folder list is automatically expanded to
show those folders. You can direct new messages in a subfolder using the Inbox Assistant,
as discussed in the "Configuring Your Inbox Assistant" section.
Modifying Send Options
The Send tab (see Figure 21.7) includes options that let you control how email
and newsgroup messages are sent. On the Send page, you have the following options:
- Mail Sending Format: HTML. Select HTML if you want
your email messages composed in HTML format. Before you choose this option, realize
that not all email clients support HTML-formatted mail messages. If someone receives
a message you send in HTML format and that person's mail client doesn't read HTML,
the message will be difficult (if not impossible) to read. Click the Settings
button to display the HTML Settings dialog box (see Figure 21.8). From here, you
can set the bit and binary formats for encoding your message. Quoted Printable is
the default, but you can select from None or Base 64 as well.
FIG. 21.7 Among other
Send tab options, you can set up your email and newsgroup messages to be composed
in HTML or text file format.
FIG. 21.8 Within the HTML
Settings dialog box, you can set whether your HTML-formatted email messages will
include embedded images.
- To be able to send images used within an HTML-formatted message (such as a company
logo), click the Send Pictures with Messages option. Otherwise, the message
will contain a reference to that image, and the recipient will see it only if he
or she has access to the image (or a copy of it). Select the Indent Message
on Reply option if you want your original message indented when a reply is created.
- Mail Sending Format: Plain Text. Select this option
if you want your email messages created in plain text format. The advantage of plain
text over HTML is that virtually all email clients that receive Internet email can
handle plain text. Click Settings to change text format options (see Figure 21.9).
For the most part, you should keep the MIME setting. You might want to use UUENCODE
if your recipients' clients handle UUENCODED messages automatically. However, MIME
is a better default.
FIG. 21.9 The Plain Text
Settings dialog box provides options for modifying the way Outlook Express creates
plain text-formatted messages.
- News Sending Format: HTML and Plain Text.
Select HTML or Plain Text to set how Outlook Express creates newsgroup messages.
The options you can set by clicking the Settings buttons are identical to those discussed
in the Mail Sending Format: HTML and Mail Sending Format: Plain Text options.
- Save Copy of Sent Messages in the `Sent Items' Folder.
Use this option if you want a copy of every message you send to be created in the
Sent Items folder. This capability is handy if you want a record of all email messages
you send for future reference or filing. This option is on by default.
- Include Messages in Reply. When you reply to a message,
this option copies the original message and places > characters in front of the
original text.
- Send Messages Immediately. Choose this option if you
want your messages to be sent to the mail server as soon as you click the Send button
after crafting your message. Clear this option if you want your messages queued before
they are sent to the mail server. You then need to click the Send and Receive button
on the Outlook Express toolbar to send your queued messages manually.
- Reply To Messages Using the Format in Which They Were Sent.
Set this option when you want to use the same email or news message format as the
format used in the original message.
- Automatically Complete E-Mail Addresses When Composing.
When you're typing an email address in the To: line, Outlook Express can provide
the rest of the address (or at least what it thinks is the rest) based on Address
Book entries.
Modifying Read Options
On the Read tab (see Figure 21.10), you can set the way Outlook Express shows
read and unread messages, how many newsgroup headers are downloaded at once, and
other message viewing options. These options include the following:
FIG. 21.10 You may find
the default Read options are fine for most situations.
- Message Is Read After Being Previewed for x Seconds. You
can set Outlook Express to change an unread email or newsgroup message header from
bold to normal text after you've viewed the message for a specific number of seconds.
The default is 5 seconds.
- Download x Headers at a Time. Specifies the number of newsgroup
headers that Outlook Express should download from a news server. The default is 300.
- Automatically Expand Conversation Threads. You can
have Outlook Express expand newsgroup threads in the message header pane. A thread
is a response to a message. Some threads can be very long, so you may want to leave
this option turned off so that more headers appear in the message header pane. On
the other hand, if you're following or participating in a particular thread, you
may want to select this option so that the thread is easier to follow.
- Automatically Show News Messages in the Preview Pane.
If you want a newsgroup message to appear in the preview pane when you click its
header, use this option. Otherwise, you need to press Spacebar each time you select
a message header and want to read it. The advantage of turning off this option is
that Outlook Express will not download the body of a message if you simply select
the message header.
- Mark All Messages as Read When Exiting a Newsgroup.
Use this option if you want newsgroup messages marked as read even if you have not
read all of them.
- Automatically Show Picture Attachments in Messages.
This option enables Outlook Express to show JPG, BMP, or GIF images attached to a
message. The image will appear at the end of message text in the body of the message.
- Show Multiple Pictures as a Slide-Show. This option displays
pictures one at time when a message includes two or more pictures. Backward and forward
buttons are displayed with the slide show to enable you to navigate from picture
to picture.
- Font Settings. Click the Fonts button to change character set and
font settings from the Fonts dialog box.
- International Settings. Click the International button
to remap character sets.
Setting Spelling Options
The Spelling tab provides options for setting the Outlook Express spell-check
feature. The following are the options you can set:
- Always Suggest Replacements for Misspelled Words.
When a misspelled word is found in a message, you can have Outlook Express provide
possible alternatives for the word.
- Always Check Spelling Before Sending. You can have
Outlook Express automatically spell-check your messages before they are sent. If
you don't set this option, you must select Tools, Spelling from the
message composition window each time you want to spell-check a message.
- Words in UPPERCASE. Outlook Express can ignore words
in all uppercase, such as if you use acronyms (DARPA) and initials (IBM) in your
messages.
- Words with Numbers. Outlook Express can ignore words
that have numbers within them, such as R2D2.
- The Original Text in a Reply or Forward. If you're
replying to or forwarding a message, you can have Outlook Express not spell-check
the original text. To do so, make sure this option is selected. Otherwise, you may
spend a lot of time spell-checking text that is not part of your reply text.
- Internet Addresses. You can have Outlook Express ignore Internet
addresses, including email addresses and URLs, when running a spell-check.
- Language. Set the language option Outlook Express should
use for spell-checking your messages.
- Edit Custom Dictionary. Click this button to add new words
to the spell-check dictionary.
Setting Security Properties
The Security tab (see Figure 21.11) includes the following settings:
FIG. 21.11 You should
set security options to encrypt your messages.
- Security Zones. This section sets security zone features for your Internet,
intranet, and other connections. Because these settings also affect security zone
settings in Internet Explorer 4.0, see Chapter 20, "Configuring Microsoft Internet
Explorer 4.0," for details on these options.
- Digitally Sign All Outgoing Messages. Outlook Express can
add a digital signature to each of your messages so that recipients know the message
has not been tampered with.
- Encrypt Contents and Attachments for All Outgoing Messages.
Outlook Express can encrypt your messages and their file attachments so that only
those people with your digital ID can decrypt them. By default, all your messages
also include your ID, so you may want to turn off this feature by clicking the Advanced
Settings button. See "Setting Advanced Security Settings" later in this
chapter for more information.
- Get Digital ID. You can obtain a digital ID by clicking the
Get Digital ID button. This action launches your Web browser and connects you a Web
site that enables you to obtain an ID.
- More Info. Click this button to learn more about digital
IDs.
Modifying Dial Up Options
On the Dial Up page (see Figure 21.12), you can configure how Outlook Express
dials your online service, such as an Internet service provider, to download email
and newsgroup data. You also can set some of the following options when you first
launch Outlook Express:
FIG. 21.12 Dial Up settings
are available when you have designated a dial-up connection to an online or Internet
provider.
- Do Not Dial a Connection. Use this option if you want Outlook
Express to launch without dialing a service or displaying options to connect to a
service.
- Dial This Connection. This option specifies the dial-up
connection you want Outlook Express to dial.
- Ask Me If I Would Like to Dial a Connection. Use this
option when you want Outlook Express to ask you to select a service to dial when
you launch Outlook Express.
- Warn Me Before Switching Dial Up Connections. If you have
more than one dial-up connection set up, Outlook Express can prompt you if the first
one isn't functioning, and you can switch to another connection.
- Hang Up When Finished Sending, Receiving, or Downloading.
If you just want to send and receive new messages, click this option so that Outlook
Express disconnects after these tasks are performed. You then can read your messages
or newsgroup posting while offline.
- Automatically Dial When Checking for New Messages.
Use this option when you want Outlook Express to dial the selected service automatically
when you launch Outlook Express.
Setting Advanced Options
The options available on the Advanced tab (see Figure 21.13) relate to how messages
are stored on your hard drive, as well as if log files are to be created. The following
are the options for this tab:
FIG. 21.13 You may want
to change some of the Advanced tab options after you have some experience with Outlook
Express.
- Delete Messages x Days After Being Downloaded. This option
sets the number of days in which downloaded newsgroup messages are retained on your
hard drive. Five days is the default.
- Don't Keep Read Messages. After you read a message,
Outlook Express can delete it when you exit Outlook Express. This option is selected
by default.
- Compact Files When There Is X Percent Wasted Space.
Newsgroup messages can be compacted (that is, eliminate wasted file space) when a
percentage of wasted space on your hard drive is detected. The default is 20 percent.
- Clean Up Now. If you want to compact your newsgroup messages
now, click the Clean Up Now button. Clicking this button displays the Local
File Clean Up dialog box, from which you can select to compact, remove, or delete
messages and message headers from your hard disk. You also can click the Reset
button so that you can redownload messages from a newsgroup.
- Logging. You can specify whether all commands sent to your newsgroup,
email, and IMAP servers are sent to a logging file. This capability is handy to troubleshoot
problems with these servers.
Setting Advanced Security Settings
If you send confidential information in your email messages, you should consider
acquiring a digital ID, or digital certificate. Digital IDs enable you to "sign"
your messages electronically so that recipients are confident that the messages they
receive from you have not been intercepted and tampered with.
In Outlook Express, you use the Advanced Security Settings dialog box to set up
your digital IDs. You must, however, obtain a digital ID from a certificate authority,
which is a business that sells IDs to different users. One of these businesses is
VeriSign and can be accessed via the Web at http://www.verisign.com.
If you click the Advanced Settings button on the Advanced Security Settings
page (select Tools, Options), you can attach to the Where To Get Your
Digital ID page at http://www.microsoft.com/ie/ie40/oe/certpage.html
.
After you set up an ID, you can associate it with other email accounts for which
you want to use it. Use these steps to do so:
- 1. From Outlook Express, select Tools, Accounts. The Internet
Accounts dialog box appears (see Figure 21.14).
FIG. 21.14 You must first
associate your digital ID with a mail account.
- 2. Select the account and click Properties. The Properties page
for that account appears.
3. Click the Security tab (see Figure 21.15).
FIG. 21.15 The Properties
page for the email account enables you to set with which account you want to associate
an ID.
- 4. Click Use a Digital ID When Sending Secure Messages From option.
The Digital ID button becomes available.
5. Click the Digital ID button. The Select Default Account Digital ID dialog
box appears.
6. Select an ID and click OK.
7. Click OK to save your setting, and click Close to close the Internet Accounts
dialog box.
Setting Internet Accounts
In Chapter 19, "Configuring an Internet Connection," you learned how
to set up an Internet account. If you need to change this account or change it for
your email or newsgroup settings, you can do so from Outlook Express. You also can
set up or change properties for a directory service account. Directory services are
Internet directories (LDAP) that your ISP or LAN uses to verify email addresses.
These services are analogous to telephone yellow or white pages, but they contain
email addresses. When you install Windows 98, a list of directory services is already
set up for you.
To set or change Internet accounts, use the following steps:
- 1. From Outlook Express, select Tools, Accounts. The Internet
Accounts dialog box appears. This dialog box includes tabs called All, News, Mail,
and Directory Service.
2. Click the All tab (see Figure 21.16).
FIG. 21.16 The All page
enables you to work with news, mail, or directory service accounts.
- 3. Select Add and choose the account you want to set up. If you
choose Mail or News, the Internet Connection Wizard then appears. Work
through this wizard as detailed in Chapter 19, "Configuring an Internet Connection."
If you choose Directory Service, the Internet Directory Server Name screen
of the Internet Connection Wizard appears. The following steps show how to work through
this wizard.
4. Enter the Internet directory server address in the field provided. An example
is ldap.bigfoot.com, for the Bigfoot directory. You may need to request
this information from your ISP or from your system administrator.
5. Select the My LDAP Server Requires Me To Log On option if you must
log on to the directory service.
6. Click Next. The Internet Directory Server Logon screen appears (see
Figure 21.17). This screen appears only if you select the logon option in step 5.
Otherwise, you see the Check E-mail Addresses screen, as described in step 7. Fill
in the LDAP Account Name and Password fields with your login information.
Click the Log On Using Secure Password Authentication option if your ISP uses
SPA password authentication. You need to get this information from your ISP.
FIG. 21.17 Use this screen
to enter logon and password information for your LDAP server.
- 7. Click Next. The Check E-mail Addresses screen appears. Here,
you choose whether you want Outlook Express to check the new directory service to
verify an email address. Click Yes if you want to; click No if you
choose not to. Note that you can change this setting later.
TIP: If you choose to have Outlook Express check email addresses
against a directory service, you will greatly increase the time it takes to send
a message. This is due to the overhead required for Outlook Express to attach to
the directory service, look for the email address, and then send the message. If
an address cannot be found in the directory, you are informed of this situation.
Your message, however, can still be sent. Your recipient just may not be registered
in the same directory (or any directory) you are using.
- 8. Click Next. Enter a name for the directory. By default, the
address is used.
9. Click Next. Then click Finish to save your settings. Your new directory
service is added to the Internet Accounts dialog box.
To modify an account, select it and choose Properties. The Properties page for
that account appears, such as the directory account page shown in Figure 21.18. The
settings available here are the same ones you set up using the Internet Connection
Wizard. You also have advanced options, which enable you to set port settings and
search configurations.
If you select a news server account and choose Properties, the Advanced tab (see
Figure 21.19) provides access to the following items:
FIG. 21.18 The Bigfoot
Properties page provides access to settings for the Bigfoot directory service.
FIG. 21.19 You can set
advanced settings for your news service account from this tab.
- Port number. Set the newsgroup port number, if different than the default.
- Server Timeouts. Adjust the timeout setting to a lower or higher setting
as necessary. The longer the timeout period, the more time Outlook Express will attempt
to connect to your news server before returning an error message that it cannot connect
at this time.
- Descriptions. This option shows descriptions of each newsgroup.
- Posting. By selecting this option, you can have Outlook Express divide
a posting into smaller files if the posting exceeds the file size you indicate. Some
newsgroup readers cannot handle postings larger than 64KB.
Finally, if you select an email server account to modify, the Advanced tab (see
Figure 21.20) includes settings you're already familiar with, such as configuring
port and timeout settings, and instructing Outlook Express to break apart messages
larger than a specific size. You also can specify to have Outlook Express retain
a copy of email messages you've sent and received on the mail server. This capability
is handy if you want to have a backup of your messages stored on the server. Some
servers don't offer this feature. If this is the case with your email server, you
receive a message telling you that messages can't be saved on the server after they've
been received by the recipient.
FIG. 21.20 The Advanced
tab on the email properties account is similar to the news server Advanced tab.
On the Internet Accounts dialog box, you also can set the order in which directory
services are checked. Click the Set Order button to display the Directory Services
Order dialog box. This capability is handy if you have several directory services
and you want to have Outlook Express hit a specific one for the majority of your
email messages. This service might be an LDAP server on your LAN that contains a
list of employees in your company to whom you send mail often. Use the Move Up
and Move Down buttons to set the checking order. Click OK to close the Directory
Services Order dialog box.
Click Close on the Internet Accounts dialog box when you finish setting Internet
account properties.
Configuring Your Inbox Assistant
Managing your email can be daunting at times. If you receive a great number of
messages every day or every week, important messages can get buried underneath mail
that is not so important, such as junk mail (spam). To help manage your incoming
mail, you can set up rules that help you file messages that adhere to certain criteria
you set up.
To do so, you use the Inbox Assistant. The Inbox Assistant is like having your
own secretary organize your email into nice little stacks for you. You can, for example,
specify that all mail coming from a certain user be stored in a specific folder.
The key to using the Inbox Assistant is to pick up on trends in your email so that
you can parse the messages as they are received.
Use the following steps to set up the Inbox Assistant:
- 1. Select Tools, Inbox Assistant. The Inbox Assistant window
then appears. Until you add rules to the Assistant, the window is empty.
2. Click Add to display the Properties dialog box (see Figure 21.21).
Here, you set up rules for your Inbox Assistant to follow.
FIG. 21.21 You must first
set up properties for each rule in the Inbox Assistant.
- 3. Specify the criteria for each of the properties listed on the Properties
dialog box. If you want to parse all messages arriving from a user named Abby Lane,
for example, place that name in the From text field. Click the contact icon
next to the To:, CC:, and From: fields to access your Address Book, from which you
can specify names stored there.
You also can specify a subject that Inbox Assistant uses to parse messages. This
capability is handy if you and others have standardized a subject line for specific
documents. And, if you want to set up a rule for messages that are larger than a
specific size, click the Larg_er Than option and set a size.
4. Select the action you want to be performed on the message that conforms to
the preceding criteria. Actions include moving or copying to a specific folder, forwarding
to another user(s), replying to a specific file, leaving the message on the server,
or deleting it from the server without even downloading it.
TIP: Click the Folder buttons to display the Move or Copy dialog
boxes. From here, you can select a folder (such as the Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items,
Deleted Items, and Drafts folders) or create a new one by clicking the New Folder
button.
- 5. Click OK to return to the Inbox Assistant window and to see the new
rule you've just set up (see Figure 21.22).
FIG. 21.22 Periodically
check to make sure the rules you apply are correct after you start receiving email.
- 6. Continue creating as many rules as necessary by following steps 2 through
5.
7. Use the Move Up and Move Down buttons to determine priority
of each rule.
TIP: If messages conform to more than one rule, the rule closest
to the top of the list in the Inbox Assistant window takes precedence.
To see the properties of a rule, select the rule and click Properties. Clicking
this button opens the Properties dialog box, enabling you to modify rules if needed.
- 8. Use the Remove button to delete selected rules from the Inbox
Assistant window.
9. Click OK to save your settings.
After you set a new rule, you should keep a close eye on your incoming messages
to make sure that they adhere to the rules you have set up. If you notice action
being done to messages other than what you originally intended, return to the Inbox
Assistant and modify the properties of the rule to correct the action. l


© Copyright, Macmillan Computer Publishing. All
rights reserved.