Microsoft Office

Automatically reply to messages with the Out of Office Assistant

You can set up Microsoft Office Outlook 2007 to send an automatic response to some or all of the people who send you e-mail messages.

Important The Out of Office Assistant command only appears on the Tools menu when you are using a Microsoft Exchange Server account. If you are using an Exchange Server account, click in the Inbox folder, and then the Out of Office Assistant command does not appear on the Tools menu, we encourage you to contact a Microsoft support professional for assistance. An alternative method to automatically reply to messages is available for all Outlook users. Go to Automatically reply to messages.

On the Tools menu, click Out of Office Assistant.

Note The Tools menu appears on the main Outlook window. The main window is the same window that appears when you start Outlook and includes the File, Edit, View, Go, Tools, Actions, and Help menus. There is no Tools menu in windows where you create or view items such as e-mail messages, contacts, or tasks.

If the Out of Office Assistant command does not appear, an alternative method to automatically reply to messages is available for all Outlook users. Go to Automatically reply to messages.

Click Send Out of Office auto-replies.
If you want, select the Only send during this time range check box to schedule when your out of office replies are active. If you do not specify a start and end time, auto-replies will be sent until you click Do not send Out of Office auto-replies.
On the Inside My Organization tab, type the response that you want to send while you are out of the office.
To send auto-replies to people out of your organization, continue with steps 4 and 5.

On the Outside My Organization tab, select the Auto-reply to people outside my organization check box, and then type the response that you want to send while you are out of the office.
Note Organization is usually defined as your company and includes people who have an Exchange Server account on your e-mail system.

When the Auto-reply to people outside my organization check box is selected, the Outside My Organization tab displays (On) next to the tab name.

On the Outside My Organization tab, click My Contacts only or Anyone outside my organization to specify the people to whom auto-replies are to be sent.
Note The contact must exist in your Exchange Server Contacts folder. If the contact exists only in a folder that is a part of a Personal Folders file (.pst), the auto-reply message will not be sent.

Would you be surprised to hear that a new industry related to real estate, of all things, is taking off right now? I know I was when I read this Washington Post article about e-decorating:

Web-based interior design services are growing in popularity, even though the designer never steps foot in the room.

These services are faster and less expensive than the usual terms of a designer-client relationship, and they are largely conducted online. Clients typically e-mail photos of their rooms, fill out a questionnaire and pay a flat fee. Weeks later, sometimes sooner, they receive a customized design plan that can be implemented with pieces from retail stores and Web sites.

Cost-effective and convenient, Web consulting is just another example of the democratization of interior design, a luxury once afforded only by the wealthy. Fueled by an increasing number of cable TV shows, shelter magazines and design blogs, homeowners and renters of every income level have been inspired to put a personal stamp on their interiors. Web-based services not only encourage design, they make it easier to accomplish and allow clients more-affordable access to designers outside their geographical area.

“People now are design savvy. They want a designer, they want a designed house, but they can’t always afford one,” says Los Angeles designer Betsy Burnham. “Sometimes all they need is that master plan.”

In this case, customers can save on design expenses so they can put more of their money toward buying actual furnishings. For designer business owners, the service offers a way to reach new markets — customers with small projects or limited budgets — and to hang on to customers who may once have used full-on design services, but now are wary of spending that much in today’s economy.

So what can you take away from this? If you provide a personal or business service, such as organizing, personal training, or consulting, that normally requires meeting with clients one-on-one, think about creating an alternative, online-only version of your service that would offer scaled-back services at a scaled-back cost.

Consider the benefits: Instead of being limited to meeting with clients face-to-face during, say, 9 to 5 work hours, you can work on your online clients’ projects at any time. You save on gas and travel costs. And you enhance your online presence, which helps boost customers’ awareness of your business.

Is there a way you’ve used the Internet to transform how you offer your service? I’m curious to know.

Those of you who jumped on the calendar page maker the day I posted it quickly found a bug I had overlooked. Pages were created, but most of the time in the incorrect section, or in Unfiled Notes. Hmm. Something had gone wrong somewhere, and this is what I found.

From John Guin:

Going into Unfiled Notes is the backup - if the section you chose cannot be found (for instance, you chose the “Notebooks” name from the tree control) I decided to use Unfiled Notes rather than prompt you to go through the powertoy and try to figure out what was wrong.

The problem with them pages going to the wrong section was more difficult to track. First I tracked the creation of the tree control, and ensured I was getting the ID of each section. I was, but when I stepped through the code and tried to create the pages, the ID had been changed. This occurred only some of the time. If I had one notebook, it worked fine, but two notebooks (or more) failed. What was happening is that I only used the IDs from the first notebook in the tree (to make a long, tedious bug story short). After that, I got lucky. The “node” element of the tree has two text properties. One I used to display the name of the section (the “text” property), and the “name” property is where I store the sectionID. Now when you pick a section, you get the pages created where you want.

Another feature I wanted to add was avoiding creating pages on weekend days. I could not figure out a good way to determine weekends since they vary worldwide (and even job to job within a country), so gave up. Then “Sean” asked for the ability to only create pages for Thursdays. This seemed easy enough. I could give you checkboxes for which days you wanted, and you could eliminate the weekend days yourself. Thanks for the suggestion, Sean! If you download the new powertoy, you can now pick which days of the week you want.

This simple application is growing nicely.

I even localized (”Translated”) the day of the week names, so you get domingo, lunes, etc… for Spanish, and so on.

I hope this new functionality is useful.

Download here.

In Word, a style defines a set of formatting properties that are indirectly applied to characters, paragraphs, list, or tables. Instead of directly applying bold, then 14 point font, and then red to text, you can use a style to indirectly apply these three things in a single click. This is useful because you can quickly and consistently apply rich formatting, and can later change the definition of the style all the text the style is applied will change.

For example, the Heading 1 style in Word 2003 specifies the font, font size, and font color properties (among others) as: Arial, 16 point, and automatic, while in Word 2007 Heading 1’s font, font size, and font color properties are: Cambria, 14 point, and blue-Accent 1-Darker 25%. Because these properties changed Between Word 2003 to Word 2007, applying the Heading 1 style in Word 2003 will give you a different looking heading than if you did the same thing in Word 2007. And if you are not a big fan of Heading 1 in 2003 or 2007, you can change the font, font size, and font color properties in both versions and those changes will be applied to every instance of Heading 1 in the given document. Quick, consistent, and rich formatting that can be changed once and trickle through the whole document.

How styles relate to one another

You may be wondering how Word deals with all this style. I can get you 80% of the way there with a relatively simple explanation. The remaining 20% is more complex and less common, so I’ll go there only if I need to in later posts.

In short, styles build on top of one another. For example, if you have a numbered paragraph in a table, then the style layering logic in Word essentially works like this [Word is "speaking" in the example]:

“Document Defaults, tell me what properties to apply to paragraphs and characters by default.”
“Table Style, tell me how the table should look—i.e., row shading, borders, etc.—and if you have any additional paragraph and character properties (i.e., stuff not in the Document Defaults). If you have additional properties, I’ll add them. If you have any of the same properties as the Document Defaults—such as line spacing—but different values for those properties—such as 1 vs. 1.5—I’ll use yours.”
“Paragraph Style, do you have any additional paragraph properties (i.e. stuff not in the Document Defaults or Table Style) that I need to apply to this paragraph? If you specify the same paragraph properties as the any of the previously applied styles I’ll use yours.”
“Numbering Style, tell me how the numbered list should look and if you’ve got additional paragraph properties that I don’t have yet. Of course, if you have different values for properties that I do already have, I’ll use yours.”
“Character Style, do you have any additional character properties (i.e. stuff not in the Document Defaults or Table Style) that I need to apply? If you have the same character properties as the any of the previously applied styles, I’ll use yours.”
“Is there any direct formatting—bold, italics, underline, font color, etc.—applied? If so, I’ll use those.”
This story hopefully illustrates that:

Multiple styles can be applied to the same part of a document, so properties defined in styles are applied in a specific order.
The properties set by one type of style can be supplemented or superseded by other types of styles.
The general hierarchy of style types is [from lowest to highest priority]:
Document Defaults
Table Styles
Paragraph Styles | Paragraph Part of Linked Styles
Numbering Styles
Character Style | Character Part of Linked Styles
Direct Formatting

Office Podcasts: A podcast directory with podcasts about everything from Office products to office politics.

From Inside Office Online Blog: I like to think of the new Office Podcasts as a cross between The Office (read: Steve Carell) and my office … or, maybe your office.

When I need a break, I can hang with the humor crowd and subscribe to David Salaguinto’s Office OFFline podcast or listen to a great customer interview with Steven Thomas and Cancer Lifeline.

If work prevails (how often does THAT happen!), I can find presentation tips at Ric Bretschneider’s Presentations Roundtable, or a demo with a face (thanks, Bob). And, if I’m having a day, which never happens, I might check out Melanie Jordan’s tips for creating my own job.

Check it out! Listen to or watch a podcast right now, or download podcasts to your mobile device. Subscribe to a podcast feed, and don’t forget to give us your feedback.

We’ll update Office Podcasts regularly as new episodes and new podcast series are available. And, if you have a podcast you’d like to see on Office Podcasts, leave them a link. You might just find your podcast featured on Office Podcasts!

Happy podcasting!

What do I need to play Office podcasts?

All of the podcasts offered here on Office Online are free. You can download them directly to your computer with your Web browser, or subscribe to any podcast series by adding its feed to your RSS reader. For more information about RSS feeds and readers, see RSS feeds and Office podcasts.

To download any Office podcast that interests you, simply click any of the corresponding icons in your Web browser:

The icon denotes an audio-only podcast that you can listen to in your favorite media player on your computer or on a portable device.

The icon denotes a video podcast that you can watch in your favorite media player on your computer or on a portable device.

The icon denotes a podcast that is available from the Zune Marketplace. Connect your Zune device to your computer and sign in to Zune Marketplace to be taken to an even larger catalog of available podcasts. For more information, visit the Zune home page.

The icon denotes a podcast that is available from the iTunes directory. Connect your iTunes-compatible mobile device to your computer and sign in to iTunes to be taken to an even larger catalog of available podcasts. For more information, visit the iTunes home page.

The icon denotes an available RSS subscription for a particular podcast (or podcast series).

You can use InfoPath to collect business data from the people whom you work with, including your colleagues, partners, suppliers, and customers. For example, you can use InfoPath to create a form template for expense reports for the people in your organization.

InfoPath form templates can be straightforward, simple form templates that are used by several people in a small workgroup. For example, a 10-person sales team can use an InfoPath form to informally collect and share information about sales calls. The data in those forms can be merged into a single summary report that is sent to management each month.

Alternatively, organizations can design highly sophisticated form templates that are connected to existing corporate databases or integrated into existing business systems. For example, the developers in your information technology (IT) department can design an InfoPath form template to manage the expense reporting process for your organization. The form template can include views (view: A form-specific display setting that can be saved with a form template and applied to form data when the form is being filled out. Users can switch between views to choose the amount of data shown in the form.) and business logic features that enable different categories of users to submit the expense report, review it, approve it, and reimburse the submitter.

The following list outlines some of the benefits of using InfoPath:

Wider access to forms If you use InfoPath and a server running InfoPath Forms Services, you can design browser-compatible form templates in InfoPath and enable them for use on internal and external Web sites. This lets you share business forms with a variety of users, including employees, customers, suppliers, and partners. Users aren’t required to have InfoPath installed on their computers to fill out a form, nor are they required to download anything extra from the Web. All users need is access to a browser, such as Windows Internet Explorer, Apple Safari, or Mozilla Firefox. If users do have InfoPath installed on their computers, they can display and fill out the form in InfoPath rather than a browser. You can even design your form template so that users can open it and fill it out by using a mobile device.

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To engage in a detailed exchange of ideas with other members of a workspace, it’s best to use a Groove Discussion Tool. A typical discussion includes a main topic with one or more responses, and responses to responses. Unlike a chat, which displays a running stream of responses in a flat view, a discussion lets you see the entire “thread” of a conversation in a hierarchical structure.

A hierarchical discussion is most appropriate for any content for which it’s important to maintain an historical record, and to present the exchange of ideas in a format that makes it easy for all readers to understand who said what.

Using rich-text features in the text chat editor

Unlike a message or a chat, a hierarchical discussion rarely contains time-sensitive content. Rather, a discussion provides an opportunity for a group of workspace members to introduce an idea, and then build and develop it over time.

Using rich-text features in the text chat editor
The text chat editor supports rich text features, such as text formatting, hyperlinks, and graphic images. These features are available only while you’re typing in the text-entry field. You cannot edit a chat entry once it appears in the chat display window. Right-click in the chat text-entry field to see formatting options or select options in the toolbar.

Using ink chat features
Right-click in the text-entry field to see menu options for switching between basic text mode and ink mode. Ink mode lets you draw chat entries by dragging with the mouse, and provides options for styling and editing these entries.

Note Changing the chat editing mode automatically deletes any content you currently have in the chat text-entry field.

The right click menu (and toolbar options in a Chat window or Chat workspace) correspond to the current editing mode. If you have Text mode selected, you see the standard editing options you see in all rich-text tools in Groove. If you have Ink mode selected, you see the following editing options:

Pen. Draw with the pen in the text-entry field.
Erase. Erase a drawn object (or part of a drawn object) by dragging.
Zap. Erase an entire drawn object at once by dragging.
Lasso. Select and edit a drawn object. To select the object, drag a circle around the object. You can then move or resize the drawn object just as you would in a Sketchpad tool. You can also change the color and thickness of the drawn object by selecting from the Select Color and Ink Thickness tools.
Select Color. Select a new color for a selected drawn object or for subsequent drawn objects.
Ink Thickness. Select a different thickness for a selected drawn object or for subsequent drawn objects.

Chatting takes place in Groove within the context of a workspace. Workspace members open a chat window to exchange quick chat entries.

Although workspace members could chat about any topic, chat entries tend to relate to activities in the workspace. Typically, chat entries do not include content that members care about keeping. Rather, the content is administrative, perhaps directing members to start an activity, go to a location, or open a file. Chat is the quickest and most immediate of all the Groove communication options, and is therefore effective for sharing time-sensitive information, at least within the context of a workspace. A chat can also be carried out effectively among a group of workspace members.

If a chat contains content that members want to keep, this content is better entered in a Discussion tool, where it can be referenced later. Note, however, that although a chat transcript can be copied to the clipboard, no method exists for converting it to Discussion tool entries.

About audio-chatting in Groove
Workspace members who have the requisite audio equipment installed on their computers can use Groove audio-chatting features. Audio-chatting is the most immediate form of communicating in Groove, and allows a workspace member to broadcast to all other “in-workspace” members. It also allows a group of workspace members to broadcast simultaneously, in conference. Note, however, that the ability to use audio-chatting features may vary depending on connection speeds and bandwidth, especially with the conference feature.

Groove provides a number of different ways to share ideas and carry out conversations. Specifically, you can chat, exchange instant messages, or carry out detailed discussions in a response hierarchy. Each method has its proper time and place, depending on the purpose and goals of the conversation.

About messaging in Groove

You can send a message to any Groove contact. Your messages can include audio recordings, file attachments, and Web address (URL) references. If Groove recognizes contacts listed in your contact list as also being Messenger contacts, you can start Messenger activities with these contacts from Groove.

Messaging is best when you need to share or exchange simple ideas quickly, such as a reminder, or a question that should yield a quick, simple answer. Messages tend to address a variety of unrelated topics, whereas topics in hierarchical discussion typically relate to the specific workspace context. Unlike a chat or hierarchical discussion, you can share messages with any Groove contact; that is, message recipients do not need to be members of any particular workspace.

Typically, a message yields a quick reply, because it gets the recipient’s attention, and can be dealt with quickly. Also, messages are commonly shared either between just two people, or between one person and a group. For example, one might send a message to a group asking if they plan to attend an optional meeting. However, using messages to carry out a conversation becomes unwieldy and is not recommended.

Note, however, that a message might not yield an immediate response if the recipient is not present. This differs from a chat, as explained below, in which all participants are typically present at the same time. Thus, if your message is time-sensitive, it is important to check the recipient’s online status.

Finally, although the Message History provides an historical record of all messages sent and received, this facility does not offer an easy way to review a thread of multiple exchanges.

Publisher features templates that you can use to create a short catalog. Just choose a catalog template, and then replace the placeholder pictures with your own and type in the text that you want.

Your catalog merge template should have the same layout (page size and orientation) that you want for your final merged pages. Also, it should contain any text or graphics that you want to appear on each page of your final publication, for example, a background image or the name of your company.

If you plan to add your merged pages to the end of an existing publication, make sure that your catalog merge template matches the existing publication in the following ways:

Page size (height and width)
Page view (one-page spread or two-page spread)
Publication type (Web or print)
Page order (left-to-right or right-to-left)

Create the catalog merge template
On the File menu, click New.
In the New Publication task pane, click Blank Page Sizes, and then choose the size that you want..
Note If you plan to post your catalog to a Web site, click Web Sites under Blank Page Sizes, and then click the size that matches your target screen resolution.

Click Create.
On the File menu, click Page Setup.
In the Page Setup dialog box, make any changes to the margins that you want, and then click OK.
On the Tools menu, point to Mailings and Catalogs, and then click Catalog Merge.

Connect to your data source
After you format your catalog merge template page, use the Catalog Merge task pane to create or locate and connect to your data source. The option that you choose next depends on whether you already have a data source or whether you want to create a new list in Publisher.

In the Catalog Merge task pane, under Select Product List, do one of the following:
Click Use an existing list if you already have a data source that you want to use.
Click Select from Outlook Contacts if you want to create a directory of your contacts.
Select Type a new list if you need to create the data source for your merge.
Click Next: Create or connect to a product list.

Use an existing list
In the Select Data Source dialog box, locate and click the data source that you want.
By default, Publisher saves data sources in the My Data Sources folder. You may need to browse to the My Data Sources folder to locate your data source.

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