2. Explore Outlook modules
Practice files
No practice files are necessary to complete the practice tasks in this chapter.
The Outlook 2016 user interface includes many features and tools to help you easily store, find, and display information. Outlook functionality is divided among several modules that are specific to the items you work with in them. You work with messages in the Mail module; with appointments, events, and meetings in the Calendar module; with contact records in the People module, and with tasks and to-do items in the Tasks module.
You display and work with one module at a time in the app window. The functionality of the ribbon, status bar, and content area in each module is specific to the items you manage in the module, and sometimes to the view of the module that you display.
The ribbon in each Outlook module displays commands for managing the types of items you create in that module, and the status bar displays indicators relevant to the module. Similarly, the ribbon of each type of item window has a unique tab that displays commands specific to that item type. The result of all this is that the relevant commands are easy to access.
This chapter guides you through procedures related to working in the Outlook app window, and working in the Mail, Calendar, People, and Tasks modules.
Work in the Outlook app window
The first time you start Outlook, the app window displays your Inbox in Compact view. When you subsequently start Outlook, the app window displays the view and arrangement of the Mail module that was active when you closed Outlook.
Areas of the app window for working with Outlook items
Work with items
You can individually control the display, and in some cases the location, of app window elements from the View tab.
In addition to the title bar, ribbon, and status bar that are common to all Microsoft Office apps, the Outlook app window includes three areas in which you work with Outlook items: the Folder Pane, the content area, and the Reading Pane.
Folder Pane This collapsible pane appears on the left side of the Outlook app window in every module. Its contents change depending on the module you’re viewing—it might display links to email folders, calendars, address books, or filtered views. The Folder Pane can be minimized to display only favorite folders. The Folder Pane setting (Normal or Minimized) remains the same as you switch among modules.
Content area The content area is the part of the app window bordered on the left by the Folder Pane and on the right by the To-Do Bar, when the To-Do Bar is displayed, or by the right side of the app window when it is not displayed. The content area displays the content of the selected module—your message list, calendar, contact records, or tasks—and can also host the Reading Pane.
Reading Pane This optional pane can be displayed vertically or horizontally within the content area. Within the Reading Pane, you can preview and work with the content of a selected item, or display a full-featured preview of a file that is attached to an Outlook item (including Microsoft Word documents, Excel worksheets, PowerPoint presentations, and PDF files). The Reading Pane can also host the People Pane.
See Also
For information about working with the Reading Pane, see “Display messages and message attachments” in Chapter 3, “Send and receive email messages.”
The Folder Pane and content area are standard in every Outlook module; the Reading Pane can be displayed in any Outlook module but is displayed by default only in the Mail and Tasks modules.
Switch among modules
The Navigation Bar, which is located on the left side of the app window above the status bar, displays the controls you use to navigate between modules. The Navigation Bar can take the form of a compact vertical or horizontal bar that displays buttons labeled with module icons, or as a larger horizontal bar with text labels.
The standard Navigation Bar is separate from the Folder Pane and does not change orientation. The compact Navigation Bar is incorporated into the Folder Pane, and its orientation depends on whether the Folder Pane is minimized or expanded.
The different forms of the Navigation Bar
You can specify the maximum number of buttons that appear on the Navigation Bar and the order in which they appear. For information about modifying the Navigation Bar and its contents, see “Personalize the Outlook app window” in Chapter 12, “Manage window elements.”
To display an Outlook module
1. On the Navigation Bar, click the module button, or click the Options button (...) and then click the module name.
Or
1. Use any of the following keyboard shortcuts:
• Ctrl+1 for Mail
• Ctrl+2 for Calendar
• Ctrl+3 for People
• Ctrl+4 for Tasks
• Ctrl+5 for Notes
Tip
If you want to work in two modules at the same time, you can open a module in a second instance of Outlook by right-clicking the module button on the Navigation Bar and then clicking Open In New Window.
Work in the Mail module
The Mail module is displayed by default when you start Outlook. Content that is specific to the Mail module includes the Favorites list at the top of the Folder Pane, and the message list in the content area. The Home tab displays commands specific to working with messages.
Content that is unique to the Mail module
Folder Pane content
In the Mail module, the Folder Pane displays the Favorites list and the folder structure of your mailbox (or mailboxes, if you have set up multiple email accounts). The folders you add to your Favorites list are displayed at the top of the Folder Pane when it is open, and on the minimized Folder Pane when it is minimized.
When you are connected to a Microsoft Exchange account, the Favorites list automatically includes the Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts, Deleted Items, and Clutter folders.
If you have Outlook configured to connect to multiple email accounts, you might find it convenient and efficient to add the Inbox folders of each account to the Favorites list, so you can easily access all your messages in one location. If you experience connection issues with an account, you can add the account’s Outbox folder to the Favorites list so you can easily observe whether messages are being sent.
When you connect to any type of email account, these nine folders are available in each mailbox:
Inbox By default, Outlook delivers new messages to this folder.
Drafts Outlook stores temporary copies of in-progress messages in this folder, which is created the first time you save a message without sending it. Outlook might also create a draft for you while you work, if you don’t send the message immediately.
See Also
For information about creating and working with message drafts, see “Create and send messages” in Chapter 3, “Send and receive email messages.”
Sent Items When you send a message, Outlook stores a copy of it in this folder. You can change this setting if you would prefer to store sent messages elsewhere or if you prefer to not store sent messages, but the safest option is to stick to this default setting.
Deleted Items Outlook items that you delete from other folders are held in this folder. They are not deleted permanently until you empty the folder.
Clutter Outlook monitors the messages that you routinely delete and those that you respond to. Based on these patterns, Outlook delivers messages that it thinks you will ignore to this folder.
Junk E-Mail Outlook delivers messages blocked by the spam filter to this folder.
Outbox Outlook holds outgoing messages in this folder while establishing a connection to your mail server.
RSS Feeds Website information feeds that you subscribe to are available from this folder. When you first start Outlook, you might find information feeds recommended by Microsoft here.
Search Folders These folders contain up-to-date results of searches you’ve conducted for messages that match specific search criteria.
If your organization uses Microsoft Skype for Business, the default installation includes a Conversation History folder in which you can locate, review, and restart instant message exchanges (and other Skype communications). Other folders might be installed by your email service provider or third-party email security apps. You can view additional folders by displaying the Folders list in the Folder Pane of the current module.
The full folder structure for an Exchange account is displayed in the Folders list and is significantly more complex than that shown in the standard Mail module view. The Folders list includes these additional folders for Exchange account mailboxes:
Calendar Contains the contents of the Outlook Calendar module
Contacts Contains the contents of the Outlook People module
Journal Contains the contents of the Outlook Journal module
Notes Contains the contents of the Outlook Notes module
Sync Issues Contains a list of conflicts and communication failures on your mail server or in your mailbox
Tasks Contains the contents of the Outlook Tasks module
User-created folders Contains any calendar, contact, or task folders you create
The folders in the Folder Pane are displayed in a specific order that is somewhat by priority—or perhaps just a programmer’s idea at the time that’s stuck around. If you prefer, you can display the folders in alphabetical order.
Outside of the account folder structure, the Folders list also displays the Groups, Group Calendars, and Public Folders nodes, if your organization uses these Office 365 and Exchange features.
If you connect or subscribe to any Microsoft SharePoint lists or Internet calendars, links to these groups appear at the same level as your mailbox.
To add a folder to the Favorites list
1. Display the Mail module, and then do any of the following:
• Drag the folder to the Favorites list.
• Right-click the folder, and then click Show in Favorites.
• Click the folder, and then on the Folder tab, in the Favorites group, click the Show in Favorites button.
The Show In Favorites commands are not visible when you are displaying the Folders list or a module other than the Mail module.
To display the Folders list in the Folder Pane of any module
1. Do any of the following:
• On the Navigation Bar, click the Options button (...), and then click Folders.
• If the Navigation Bar has been modified to include the Folders button, click the Folders button.
• Press Ctrl+6.
To display folders in alphabetical order
1. On the Folder tab, in the Clean Up group, click Show All Folders A to Z.
To display subfolders in alphabetical order
1. Click the folder that contains the subfolders to select it.
2. Right-click the folder, and then click Sort Subfolders A to Z.
Ribbon tabs
The ribbon in the Mail module includes the File tab (which displays the Backstage view) and the four command tabs that appear in all modules: Home, Send/Receive, Folder, and View. The Home and View content is module-specific. The Mail module includes the following tabs:
Home Includes commands you need for creating and managing email messages (but not message content). For an Internet email account, this tab also includes a Send/Receive group.
The Home tab of the Mail module
Send/Receive Includes commands for synchronizing data in Outlook with data on your mail server. You can control how Outlook sends and receives messages, whether Outlook automatically downloads full messages or only message headers, and manual download processes. You can also choose to disconnect Outlook from the active Internet connection if you want to work offline—for example, to stop sending and receiving messages while connected to the Internet.
The Send/Receive commands are the same in all modules
Tip
The Work Offline button is available for Internet accounts that download content to your computer, and for Exchange accounts when you specify that Outlook should use Cached Exchange Mode for the account connection.
Folder Includes commands for creating and managing folders in which you can store messages, calendar items, contact records, notes, tasks, and other Outlook items, in addition to Search Folders in which you can display up-to-date collections of messages that meet specific criteria. You can manage the contents of a folder and recover inadvertently deleted items; add a folder to the Favorites list; view messages that have been archived to an Exchange server; and control archive settings, folder access permissions, and the folder properties.
Some commands on the Folder tab are common to all modules
Tip
Many of the Actions commands are available only when you select a custom folder (a folder that you create, rather than the folders created by Outlook).
View Includes commands for changing the way items are displayed in the content area; displaying, hiding, or changing the location of app window panes; and opening or closing secondary app windows.
Views and view settings are specific to each module
Content area views
In the Mail module, the content area displays the message list. Messages that you haven’t yet read are indicated in the message list by vertical blue lines on the left edge and bold blue header text. When you open a message, Outlook indicates that you have read it by removing the blue indicators and changing the header font in the message list from bold to normal.
There are three standard views of the message list:
Compact This view displays two lines of message properties, including the read status, subject, sender, time received, whether files are attached to the message, and any color categories or follow-up flags associated with the message. This is the default view.
Single This one-line view displays the importance, reminder, item type or read status, whether files are attached to the message, sender, subject, date received, size, category, and follow-up flags. The Reading Pane is open by default in this view.
Preview This view displays the first 255 characters of each unread message, which might give you enough information to make a quick decision about whether to delete or open it, and the first line of each read message. The Reading Pane is closed by default in this view.
Because more lines of each unread message are displayed, fewer messages are visible on your screen at one time than in the default Messages view.
Single view and Preview view are list views. When the content area width supports it, they display information in columns. You can add, remove, and resize columns in these views to display only the information you want.
You can hide panes to make room for columnar list views
See Also
For more information about view features and read/unread messages, see “Display and manage conversations” in Chapter 6, “Organize your Inbox.”
If you want to concentrate on reading messages without the distraction of other information typically presented in the Outlook app window, you can switch from Normal view to Reading view. Reading view maximizes the content area by minimizing the Folder Pane and closing the To-Do Bar, if it is open.
Reading view does not affect the display of the ribbon. Any modifications you make to the display of elements in the Outlook app window while working in Reading view remain in effect in Normal view.
To display a different view of the Mail module
1. On the View tab, in the Current View group, click Change View, and then click Compact, Single, or Preview.
To add columns in a list view of any module
1. Right-click any column heading, and then click Field Chooser to display the floating Field Chooser pane.
2. If the field you want to add doesn’t appear in the default Frequently used fields list, click the list, and then click any of the field categories.
3. Drag a field from the Field Chooser to the column heading area.
Add any field to the list view columns
4. When red arrows appear above and below a column break, release the mouse button to add the column in that location.
Or
1. On the View tab, in the Arrangement group, click Add Columns to open the Show Columns dialog box.
2. If the field you want to add isn’t shown in the Available columns pane, expand the Select available columns from list, and then click any of the field categories.
3. Click any field in the Available columns pane, and then click Add to add it to the list view.
4. When you finish modifying columns, click OK.
To remove columns from a list view of any module
1. Right-click the column heading, and then click Remove This Column.
You can perform many actions from the shortcut menu
Or
1. Open the Show Columns dialog box.
2. In the Show these columns in this order pane, click the field you want to remove. Then click Remove.
3. When you finish modifying columns, click OK.
To reorder columns in a list view of any module
1. Drag the column heading to the left or right.
2. When red arrows appear above and below a column break, release the mouse button to move the column to that location.
Or
1. Open the Show Columns dialog box.
2. In the Show these columns in this order pane, click the field you want to move. Then click Move Up or Move Down.
3. When you finish modifying columns, click OK.
To display any module in Reading view
1. On the status bar, to the left of the Zoom Slider, click the Reading button.
Message windows
Outlook displays email messages (in addition to meeting requests and task assignments received from other Outlook users) in the Mail module. When you start Outlook, it displays the Inbox of your default email account. When you create a new message or open an existing message, it opens in a separate message window. The message window has its own ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar, separate from those in the Outlook app window (and from those in other types of item windows).
The layout of all message windows is similar; each has a title bar, Quick Access Toolbar, and ribbon. By default, all message windows have the same Quick Access Toolbar, featuring the Save, Undo, Redo/Repeat, Previous Item, and Next Item buttons. (The Previous Item and Next Item buttons are enabled only in message reading windows.) The Save command is also available in the Backstage view, but the other commands are available only from the Quick Access Toolbar.
On a touchscreen device, the Quick Access Toolbar also includes the Touch/Mouse Mode button that you can use to switch between the standard interface and a more touch-friendly interface.
You can customize the Quick Access Toolbar for message composition windows or for message reading windows.
See Also
For information about customizing the Quick Access Toolbar, see “Customize the Quick Access Toolbar” in Chapter 12, “Manage window elements.”
The commands on the ribbon in an outgoing message window (a message composition window) differ from those in a received message window (a message reading window). In each case, the message window ribbon content is specific to the actions that you take when working in that window.
Message composition windows
In the message composition window, you can insert and format outgoing message content and modify the settings of outgoing messages.
The message composition window ribbon includes tabs specific to content creation
The message composition window interface includes the following elements:
Ribbon This includes the File tab (your link to the Backstage view) and the Message, Insert, Options, Format Text, and Review tabs.
Message header This area includes the To and Cc address fields and the Subject field, by default. If you configure Outlook to connect to multiple accounts, a From field appears above the To field. You can click the From button to select the account from which you want to send the message. You can also display the Bcc field in the message header by clicking that button in the Show Fields group on the Options tab.
See Also
For information about the From field, see the sidebar “Send from a specific account” in Chapter 3, “Send and receive email messages.”
Message body This is the area in which you create message content. The message body can include text, images, tables, charts, screen clippings, hyperlinks, and other types of content. An email message created in Outlook 2016 can include virtually any element that you can insert into a standard electronic document, such as a Word document.
People pane When turned on, this optional pane appears after you enter at least one message recipient. It displays information about the message recipients. Clicking a recipient’s icon displays information about previous communications with that person.
See Also
For more information about the Bcc field, message header, message body, and People pane, see “Create and send messages” in Chapter 3, “Send and receive email messages.”
Commands on the ribbon of a message composition window are organized on these five tabs:
Message Includes a selection of the commands you are most likely to use when creating a new message, some of which are also available on other ribbon tabs. Specific to this tab are commands for inserting and validating email addresses, marking an outgoing message for follow-up, and indicating the importance of an outgoing message to the message recipient.
You can compose and send most messages by using the commands on the Message tab
Insert Includes commands that are standard to all item-creation windows, for attaching items such as files and contact cards to the message, and for inserting specialized content such as email signatures, tables, images, links, and artistic text into the message body. In addition to the standard commands, the Insert Calendar command is available in the Include group on the Insert tab of the message composition window ribbon.
All command groups are active when the cursor is in the content pane
Options Includes commands that are specific to the message composition window, for applying thematic formatting to message content, displaying less-frequently used address fields in the message header, and setting specialized message delivery options.
The Options tab of the message composition window ribbon
Format Text Includes commands that are standard to all item-creation windows, for manipulating and formatting characters and paragraphs; applying and working with Quick Styles and style sets; finding, replacing, and selecting text and objects within a text box; and magnifying text. In addition to the standard commands, commands for changing the message format are available in the Format group on this tab.
Additional formatting commands are available on the Format Text tab
See Also
For information about formatting fonts, using styles, inserting various types of illustrations, setting permissions, and tracking messages, see Chapter 4, “Enhance message content.”
Review Includes commands that are standard to all item-creation windows, for working with the text in the message body, including checking spelling and grammar; researching word choices; tracking message content statistics (pages, words, characters, paragraphs, and lines); and translating content either directly or through an online service.
The Review tab of the message composition window ribbon
The Insert, Format Text, and Review tabs appear in other item windows that contain rich text fields.
Tip
Other apps that you install on your computer might install tabs that appear on the ribbon in Outlook and other Office apps so that you can interact with the installed app from within Office. You can hide those tabs if you don’t use them. For information about hiding ribbon tabs, see “Customize the ribbon” in Chapter 12, “Manage window elements.”
Message reading windows
In the message reading window, you can take action with received messages.
Message header elements are inactive
The message reading window interface includes the same elements as the message composition window, but the content differs:
Ribbon Includes the File tab and a Message tab that contains a set of commands different from the commands on this tab in a message composition window. This tab includes commands for working with the active message, including deleting, responding to, moving, tagging, editing, and viewing it. The Message tab also includes the Quick Steps gallery of command combinations that you can use to accomplish multiple tasks with one click.
See Also
For information about Quick Steps, see “Manage messages by using Quick Steps” in Chapter 14, “Manage email automatically.”
Message header Displays the names and online status (if available) of the message sender and message recipients (those entered in the To and Cc boxes), along with the message subject and any message notifications, categories, or flags. Content in this area can’t be edited.
Message body Displays the content of the message and of any subsequent responses.
Draft responses in the Reading Pane
A hybrid Message tab provides commands for working with the response message draft
See Also
For information about changing the way Outlook handles new and original messages when you reply to or forward a message, see “Configure message options” in Chapter 13, “Customize Outlook options.”
Work in the Calendar module
In the Calendar module, the Folder Pane displays the Date Navigator and a list of the calendars that you have connected to Outlook. The list might include only the calendar of your default email account, or it might include custom calendars you create, calendars that are shared with you by other Outlook users, and Internet Calendars or SharePoint Calendars that you connect to.
The Calendar module in Month view, with the ribbon closed
The content area displays appointments, meetings, and events that you’ve added to the calendar, for a period of time that you select. The default time period is one month; however, you will frequently find it more useful to display only a day or a week at a time, to have a closer look at your activities for those time periods. You can display a single day, your specified work week, a seven-day period, a month, or a schedule view that shows a close-up view of a short time period.
See Also
For information about Calendar module views, see “Display different views of a calendar” in Chapter 9, “Manage scheduling.”
Ribbon tabs
The ribbon in the Calendar module includes the File tab and the four standard module tabs: Home, Send/Receive, Folder, and View.
The ribbon includes commands that are specific to the Calendar module
Commands that are relevant to calendar items are displayed on the following tabs:
Home Includes the commands you need for creating calendar items, displaying specific views of the calendar, managing other calendars and calendar groups, and sharing the calendar with other people.
Tip
The Home tab includes the Skype Meeting group only if Microsoft Skype for Business is part of your organization’s collaboration environment. Skype provides the capability not only to commence real-time text, audio, video, and collaboration sessions with other people in your organization, but also to invite internal and external attendees to online meetings.
Folder Includes commands for creating and working with calendars. From this tab, you can create a new calendar, manipulate an existing calendar, share a calendar with other Outlook users and specify what each user can do with the shared calendar, open a calendar that you’re not currently connected to, and control the behind-the-scenes behavior of a calendar.
Tip
From a structural point of view, a calendar is simply a folder that contains calendar items. When you specify that a folder is of the Calendar type, that folder is subject to the display options allocated to calendars and is managed with other calendars. For information about creating calendars, see “Work with multiple calendars” in Chapter 10, “Manage your calendar.”
View Includes commands for viewing and arranging calendar items, changing the layout and appearance of the Calendar module, displaying missed reminders, opening multiple calendars in separate windows, and closing open calendar item windows.
The Send/Receive tab content is the same in all modules.
See Also
For information about calendar views, see “Display different views of a calendar” in Chapter 9, “Manage scheduling.” For information about changing default settings for the Calendar module, see “Configure calendar options” in Chapter 13, “Customize Outlook options.”
Calendar item windows
A window in which you create an appointment is an appointment window, one in which you create or respond to a meeting request is a meeting window, and one in which you create an event is an event window; collectively, these are calendar item windows. Like the message windows, the calendar item windows each contain relevant commands arranged on the ribbon.
Each calendar item window includes two pages. The primary page is the Appointment page. You can set up an appointment by using only the commands on this page.
All calendar item windows are variations on the appointment window
The second page is the Scheduling Assistant page (for an Exchange account) or the Scheduling page (for other account types). On this page, you can view the schedules of people and resources in your organization who you want to invite to a meeting or event. You can visually locate a time when attendees are available, or Outlook will suggest times based on the attendees’ calendars.
Scheduling people in an appointment window creates a meeting
The calendar item window interface includes the Quick Access Toolbar, the ribbon, and the content area that displays the appointment, message, or event information.
Commands on the ribbon of a calendar item window are organized on four tabs: a main tab specific to the type of calendar item and the Insert, Format Text, and Review tabs. The latter three tabs are identical to those of other item windows.
The commands you use to create and manage calendar items are available on the main tab. The tab name is Appointment, Meeting, Event, or a variation on one of those, depending on the type of item you’re creating and whether it’s a series. Regardless of the tab name, commands are organized on the tab in six groups: Actions, Show, Attendees, Options, Tags, and Add-ins. The tab includes groups for Microsoft Skype for Business and Microsoft OneNote if these apps are installed on your computer; you can use the commands in these groups to facilitate the relationship between Outlook calendar items and those apps.
For information about creating appointments, meetings, and events, see “Schedule appointments and events” and “Schedule and change meetings” in Chapter 9, “Manage scheduling.”
Work in the People module
In the People module, the Folder Pane displays your available address books—the Contacts address book, any custom address books you create, address books shared with you by co-workers, and address books containing contacts from social networks that you connect to. The content area includes the contact list and, in some views, the Reading Pane.
The default view of the People module displays contact information in People cards
Tip
Clicking a letter or letter pairing on the contact index scrolls the Contacts pane to display contact records that begin with that letter. You can add a second contact index that displays the Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek, Thai, or Vietnamese alphabet by clicking the button at the bottom of the contact index and then clicking the language you want.
The content area of the People module displays the contact records saved in the currently selected address book. The default view of contact records in Outlook 2016 is a format named People cards, but you can choose from several standard views, including business cards, text-only cards, and various lists.
See Also
For more information about contact record views, see “Display different views of contact records” in Chapter 7, “Store and access contact information.”
Tip
In earlier versions of Outlook, the People module was named the Contacts module. Remnants of the previous naming convention can be found throughout the app. In this book, I frequently refer to people whose contact information you have stored in Outlook as contacts. I assure you, however, that contacts are people too!
Ribbon tabs
The ribbon in the People module includes the File tab and the four standard module tabs: Home, Send/Receive, Folder, and View. The Home tab includes the commands you need for creating, managing, and viewing contact records, and for initiating communication with contacts. You can select contacts for a mail-merge process, send contact information to OneNote, share contacts with other Outlook users, and tag contact records in ways that enable you to better locate or manage them.
Commands for managing contact records and groups
The Send/Receive, Folder, and View tabs include the standard functionality as in the other modules. On the View tab, the Arrangement gallery includes fields that are specific to contact records.
Arrangements are available in the Phone and List views
Contact record windows
When you create a contact record or display the contact record for a person or group of people, the record opens in a contact record window. The contact record window has its own ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar, separate from those in the Outlook app window and other types of item windows. You can insert, format, and work with information in a contact record or contact group record by using the commands on the contact record window ribbon.
A blank contact record
Tip
You save information in a field by entering it into the corresponding text box. Outlook saves the information you enter as data attached to the item, and uses it in various ways. Some types of fields have special rules attached that affect the appearance of the data in the field. For example, phone number fields in contact records automatically format the numbers you enter to match a standard (123) 456-7890 format.
The contact record window interface includes the Quick Access Toolbar, the ribbon, and the optional People Pane, in addition to the content area that displays the contact record information.
When opened from a contact record window, the Backstage view includes commands related to managing contact records, such as saving contact records and contact record attachments and closing, moving, and printing contact records.
Tip
The commands available in the Backstage view of a contact record window are identical to those in the Backstage view of an appointment window. For more information, see “Work in the Calendar module” earlier in this chapter.
Commands on the ribbon of a contact record window are organized on four tabs: Contact, Insert, Format Text, and Review. The Contact tab includes commands that are specific to managing and working with contact records.
Manage contact records from the Contact tab
Commands include those for managing the contact record, switching among the contact record pages, communicating with the contact, accessing and verifying saved contact information, and personalizing a contact’s electronic business card. This tab also includes commands for assigning a category or follow-up flag to a contact record, preventing other Outlook users from viewing the contact record when connected to your account, and changing the magnification level of the notes pane within the contact record window.
The Insert, Format Text, and Review tabs include the same standard commands as those in a message composition window. Most of the commands apply only to the content of the notes pane.
See Also
For information about creating contact records, see Chapter 7, “Store and access contact information.”
Work in the Tasks module
In the Tasks module, the Folder Pane displays the two built-in task list views: the default To-Do List view and the Tasks view. (These views are represented as folders although both display different views of the same tasks, much like a Search Folder.) It also contains any custom task folders you create. The content area displays the selected view of the tasks.
The default view of the Tasks module includes flagged items
To-Do List view displays tasks organized by default in groups by due date (you can reorder the tasks any way you want), and the Reading Pane, in which you can preview the details of any selected task. This is the default view.
Tasks view displays a list of task details in columns. Each task is preceded by a check box so that you can easily indicate when the task is complete. The Reading Pane is hidden by default, so you must open a task item (or display the Reading Pane) to display additional details.
Tip
In addition to these standard views, you can display tasks filtered and organized in many other ways, by selecting a view from the Change View gallery. For more information, see “Display different views of tasks” in Chapter 11, “Track tasks.”
Ribbon tabs
The ribbon in the Tasks module includes the File tab and the four standard module tabs: Home, Send/Receive, Folder, and View. The Home tab includes the commands you need for creating, managing, and viewing tasks. You can assign tasks to co-workers and work with tasks assigned to you, send task information to a OneNote notebook, and tag tasks in ways that enable you to better locate or manage them.
Commands for managing tasks
The Send/Receive, Folder, and View tabs include the standard functionality as in the other modules. On the View tab, the Arrangement gallery includes fields that are specific to tasks.
Task windows
The window in which you create or manage a task is a task window. Like the message, contact record, and calendar item windows, the task window includes the Quick Access Toolbar, a unique set of commands arranged on the ribbon, and the content area that displays the task information.
Task windows have multiple content pages
Commands on the ribbon of a task window are organized on four tabs: Task, Insert, Format Text, and Review. The commands you use to create and manage most tasks are available on the Task tab. Commands include those for managing and assigning the task, sending the task to a OneNote notebook, and switching among the task pages. This tab also includes commands for assigning a category or follow-up flag to a task, preventing other Outlook users from viewing the task details when connected to your account, and changing the magnification level of the notes pane (not of the task window).
The Insert, Format Text, and Review tabs are identical to those of other item windows. The commands for inserting, modifying, and formatting elements apply only to content in the notes pane of the Task window.
Skills review
In this chapter, you learned how to:
Work in the Outlook app window
Work in the Mail module
Work in the Calendar module
Work in the People module
Work in the Tasks module
Explore Outlook modules
Start Outlook, display your Inbox, and then perform the following tasks:
1. In the Mail module, display the Folders list in the Folder Pane.
2. Notice the folders that are available to you in the Folders list that aren’t available in the standard Folder Pane.
3. Return to the standard Mail module Folder Pane.
4. Add a folder from the Folder Pane to the Favorites list.
5. Display the Mail module in Reading view. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of this view.
6. Display the Calendar module.
7. Notice the information that is available in the default view of the Calendar module. Then display each of the other built-in module views.
8. In a list view of the Calendar module, do the following:
• Remove a column that doesn’t contain information.
• Add a column that wasn’t previously in the view.
• Change the order of the columns.
9. Review the commands on the Home tab, and note those that are unique to the Calendar module.
10. For the People and Tasks modules, do the following:
• Display the module.
• Notice the information that is available in the default view of the module. Then display each of the other built-in module views, and consider when each view would be most useful.
• Review the commands on the Home tab, and note those that are unique to the module.