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HOME TOPICS ABOUT ME Special Outlook shortcuts have to be hand-crafted. |
technofile Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983 How to create special desktop shortcuts to speed up OutlookFeb. 27, 2002 By Al Fasoldt Copyright © 2002, Al Fasoldt Copyright © 2002, The Post-Standard Hidden away in Microsoft Outlook are dozens of delights that make this ponderous program easier to use. Most Outlook users never discover them. This week I'll tell you about a few of these hidden treats. Before I start, I need to remind you that I am referring to Outlook, not to Outlook Express. Outlook is a personal information manager that handles e-mail superbly, while Outlook Express is simply an e-mail program. Outlook is available either as part of Microsoft Office or separately. (I paid about $100 for Outlook 2000.) Outlook Express is free and comes with Internet Explorer. It's fast and easy to use, but it's not what I am talking about here. The most useful trick I've learned allows me to run just one part of Outlook by clicking an icon on the desktop. I can create an e-mail message, for example, just by double clicking an icon I've placed off to the side of the desktop; I don't need to choose from a menu within Outlook. Another icon lets me create what Outlook calls a "post" (a message you place in a folder within Outlook or within an Exchange server). One I use often is an icon that lets me create a new note within the Outlook "Notes" folder. Other icons I've created give me ways to open the Outlook calendar in its own window, run the Outlook "Contacts" manager separately and open the "Notes" folder on its own. All the icons I'm referring to represent shortcuts. They could be located on the desktop, in the Start menu or on the Windows launchbar. (I've got my special Outlook shortcuts in all three places.) The special Outlook shortcuts have to be hand-crafted. They're not hard to make, but you need to be careful when you type them. Be especially wary of spaces. In nearly every case, Windows shortcuts contain spaces between one section and another, but they never contain more than one space in a row. Ready? Start by creating a standard Outlook shortcut to use as a template. Note that I used the word "standard." The one that Outlook itself installs on your desktop is NOT standard and won't help. Find the folder Outlook.exe is installed in. (Search for that exact name if you have to.) Right-click the Microsoft Outlook icon and right-drag it to the desktop. Drop it there and make a shortcut. Right-click on the the new shortcut you just created, choose Properties, then Shortcut. You'll see a "Target:" box. Type a space after the path listed in the target box, then type one of these optional commands: To make a new e-mail message: /c ipm.noteIn all the shortcuts here, there is a single space before and after "/c." A tip: If Outlook is already running, these shortcuts will work very quickly. |