Tips & Tricks

Tips & Tricks
Keyboard shortcuts
Command definitions
File helper directory

Tips & Tricks

Maintaining Your Mail when Reinstalling
Outlook Express keeps your mail in the folder named OE User(s), which is in the same folder as the Outlook Express application. If you reinstall Outlook Express by recopying the Microsoft Internet 4.5 folder to your hard disk, DO NOT replace the existing folder or your saved mail will be removed. Instead, follow these steps before recopying the folder:

  1. Move the OE User(s) folder from the Outlook Express 4.5 folder to the desktop.
  2. Recopy the Microsoft Internet 4.5 folder to your hard disk, replacing the existing folder (if any).
  3. Move the OE User(s) folder from the desktop to the Outlook Express 4.5 folder inside the Microsoft Internet 4.5 folder you just copied.

    Advanced users: you can keep your OE User(s) folder anywhere, then place an alias to that folder in the Outlook Express 4.5 folder.

Hide names when you send to a mailing list
If you don't want others to see the names of your mailing list members, select the Hide Recipient Names check box located in the mailing list window.

Compress outgoing attachments
If the Stuffit Engine is installed on your computer, you can compress outgoing attachments.

Redirect and delete a message in one step

  1. Create a rule that redirects and deletes a message.
  2. In the message list, hold down the Control key while you press the mouse button.
  3. From the menu that appears, point to Apply Rules, and then choose your redirect and delete rule.
Set up your POP server account for online access so that you can access your mail from any computer
  1. Make sure that your POP account is displayed in the folder list. To do so, click Preferences from the toolbar, click the E-mail panel, and then click the Advanced button.
  2. Select the Allow Online Access check box.
  3. Click OK.
  4. Select your POP account from the folder list. Every message header stored on your server is displayed in the message list.
  5. To read a message, select the header or drag the message header to your Inbox. When you do so, you will reconnect to your mail server and receive the entire message.

Check recipient names and addresses before you send a message
When you write a message to a recipient who is in Contacts and has multiple e-mail addresses, the recipient name is underlined in green. In the To, Cc, or Bcc field, hold down the Control key and click the mouse button to select the e-mail account to which you want to send your message.

Use the Option key to turn file helpers on and off
When you receive a message with an attachment, click the paper-clip icon located above the message, and the Option key simultaneously. This will reverse your Use File Helpers When Viewing Attachments setting in Preferences. For example, if the Use File Helpers When Viewing Attachments check box is selected, and you press the Option key while you select an attachment, Outlook Express will respond as if the check box is clear, and instead of starting the file helper application, will prompt you to save the file.

Send messages immediately or store them in the Outbox
Use the Send Later button to store your messages in the Outbox so that you can send them all at once. Outbox messages will be sent when you use the Send All or Send & Receive commands, or during the scheduled Send & Receive as specified in Preferences.

Find the Messages You Want to Read First
To quickly scan your messages, press the up and down arrows on the keyboard, and read the text in the preview window.

Include information, such as your company, phone or fax number, and title, on every message you send

  1. On the Tools menu, choose Signatures.
  2. Click the New Signature button.
  3. In the Signature Name box, type a name that describes the signature.
  4. If you want the signature to be part of your random list, select the Include In Random List check box.
  5. In the space provided, type the text for the signature, and then click OK.
  6. If you want a signature to be sent with every outgoing message, choose a signature from the Default Signature menu. If you choose None, you can use the Signature command from the Message menu to add a signature to individual messages.

Quote copied text
If you copy text from another message, use the Paste As Quotation command from the Edit menu.

Set It Aside Before You Send
If you are interrupted while writing a message, click the Save button to store the message in your Drafts folder. When you're ready to work on the message again, click the Drafts folder, and double-click the message. When you've finished, click the Send button.

Move a local folder to an IMAP Server

  1. Select the IMAP server from the folder list.
  2. On the File menu, point to New, and then choose Folder. You might want to name the folder the same name as the local folder.
  3. In the message list, select all the messages inside the local folder.
  4. Drag the selected messages to the folder you created in step 2.
  5. Delete the local folder, by selecting it, and then choosing Delete Folder from the Edit menu.

Move a folder on an IMAP server to a local folder

  1. Click inside the message list.
  2. On the File menu, point to New, and then choose Folder. You might want to name the folder the same name as the IMAP folder.
  3. In the message list, select all the messages inside the selected server folder.
  4. Drag the selected messages to the local folder you just created.
  5. Delete the server folder by selecting it, and then choosing Delete Folder from the Edit menu.

Quick Look in Contacts:
To quickly find a user or mailing list in Contacts, type the name in the Display Names Containing box.

Scripting with Outlook Express
Learn how you can use AppleScript with Outlook Express to automate tasks in Outlook Express. You should already be familiar with AppleScript and know how to use the Macintosh Script Editor to browse scripting dictionaries and to create and debug scripts.

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Keyboard shortcuts

The following list includes keyboard shortcuts for frequently used commands. To see if a shortcut exists for a command that you use, click the menu under which the command is located. The shortcut is listed beside the command.

Working with windows and dialog boxes
To do this Press this
Open the Outlook Express window [Command] - 1
Open the Contacts window [Command] - 2
Opens Progress window [Command] - 3
Close a window [Command] - W
Print one copy [Command] - Option - P
Override delete contact or message alert [Command] - Option - Delete key
Move to the next field in a dialog box Tab key
Bring another active window to the front In the title bar of the current window, click and press [Command]
Find selected text [Command] - H
Find the next occurrence of selected text [Command] - G
Working with the folder list
Display only the selected item in the folder list [Command] - Down arrow
Display all items in the folder list [Command] - Up arrow
Expand a folder one level [Command] - Right arrow
Collapse a folder one level [Command] - Left arrow
Move up and down through the folder list Up arrow or down arrow
Working with mail
To do this Press this
Receive mail messages Shift - [Command] - M
Open the selected message [Command] - O
Send or post a message [Command] - K
Reply to a message [Command] - R
Forward a message [Command] - J
Redirect a message [Command] - Option - J
Show unread messages only/View all messages [Command] - Y
Working with news
To do this Press this
Update the newsgroup list [Command] - L
Go to next thread [Command] - Option - ]
Go to previous thread [Command] - Option - [

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Command definitions

File menu
Command name Description
New Lists the following new items that you can open. An additional command will be available that reflects the item you have open or selected. For example, if you have Contacts open, the first command will be Contact.
Mail Message Opens a new mail message.
News Message Opens a new news message.
Contact Opens Contacts.
Mailing List Creates a new mailing list.
Folder Creates a new folder.
Subfolder Creates a new folder beneath the selected folder.
Open Opens the item selected in the folder list. This command changes to reflect the item selected. For example, if the Drafts folder is selected, the command changes to Open Drafts.
Close Closes the active window.
Save Saves the information contained in the current window. Messages are automatically saved in the Outbox.
Save As Saves the information contained in the current window to a file.
Import Imports messages and address books from another program.
Export Contacts Exports Contacts. The exported Contacts is a text file that can be modified.
Page Setup Changes the page setup for printing.
Print Prints the current message.
Work Offline Disconnects you from your Internet connection. When this is turned on, you can read all previously downloaded messages and prepare outgoing messages without wasting Internet connection time.
Change Current User Allows you to set up Outlook Express for multiple users with unique preferences and passwords. Once multiple users are set up you can use this command to change to the current user.
Quit Closes all open windows and closes the program.
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Edit menu
Command name Description
Undo Reverses the last action.
Cut Removes the current selection and copies it onto the Clipboard.
Copy Copies the current selection onto the Clipboard.
Paste Inserts the contents of the Clipboard into the selected location.
Paste As Quotation Applies the quote character specified in Preferences when the contents of the Clipboard are inserted into the selected location.
Clear Removes the current selection without copying it onto the Clipboard.
Select All Selects all the text or objects in the current window.
Text Tools Formats the message using the selected text tool.
Delete Deletes the selected item in the folder list. This command changes to reflect the item currently selected. For example, if you click a message, the command changes to Delete Message.
Undelete Removes the Mark for Deletion flag from selected IMAP messages.
Purge Deleted Messages Permanently removes IMAP messages marked for deletion for the selected server or folder.
Find Opens the Find dialog box where you can specify search item for messages.
Find People Opens the Find People dialog where you search for people or e-mail addresses in your directory service or Contacts.
Preferences Changes the preferences for Outlook Express.
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View menu
The commands on this menu change to reflect the item that is selected in the folder list or the window that is open. As a result, not all the commands described here will be listed when you view this menu.
Command name Description
Get Complete Newsgroup List Downloads the newsgroup list from the server. This command is only available if a newsgroup is selected in the folder list.
Get New Newsgroups Downloads only the newsgroups that have been added to the list.This command is only available if a newsgroup is selected in the folder list.
Subscribed Only Displays only subscribed newsgroups.
Next Shows the next message or the next thread in a newsgroup.
Previous Shows the previous message or the previous thread in a newsgroup.
Internet Headers Turns on or off the display of full Internet header information at the beginning of the message.
Unread Only Turns the display of only unread messages on or off.
Deleted Messages Displays IMAP message marked for deletion. This command is only available when an IMAP server is selected in the folder list.
Get Next 500 News Subjects Downloads the next 500 subjects from a newsgroup. The number depends on what you have set in Preferences; 500 is the default value.
Refresh Folder Messages/Refresh Article List Reconnects to the mail or news server to download new articles and messages from the selected folder or newsgroup. This command is used for online POP, IMAP mail accounts, and newsgroups. If you have not set up your POP mail account for online access, you will not be able to use this command.
Columns Specifies the columns you want to display.
Font Changes the font style used to display text.
Toolbars Turns the toolbars at the top of each window on or off.
Folder List Turns the folder list located on the left pane of the Outlook Express window on and off.
Preview Pane Turns the preview pane on and off.
Message menu
Command name Description
Send Message Now/Post Message Sends a message to the recipient or posts a message to a newsgroup.
Reply To Sender/Reply to author Opens a reply message to the sender of a mail or news message.
Reply To All/Reply to Newsgroup Opens a reply message to all the recipients of a mail message or a newsgroup.
Forward Opens a copy of the current message, ready to be addressed and sent.
Redirect Opens a copy of the current message, ready to be addressed and sent, but retains the original name in the From box. When you redirect a message, you cannot edit its content.
Mark As Read Applies the setting specified in Preferences to the selected message(s).
Mark as Unread Applies the setting specified in Preferences to the selected message(s).
Signature Lists the signatures that have been created. Use this command to specify a signature for outgoing messages.
Set Priority Marks outgoing messages with a priority (high, normal, or low) so that the recipient can quickly determine its importance.
Apply Rule Lists the rules that have been created for newsgroups and mail messages. Use this command to apply a rule to an existing message.
Add Attachments Opens a dialog in which you can locate the file(s) you want to attach to a mail message.
Save Attachments/Open Attachments Opens the Save dialog box where you can determine where you want to store a single attachment or all attachments.
Compress Attachments Compresses outgoing attachments if you have the Stuffit Engine installed on your computer.
Remove Attachments Deletes the attachment from the selected message or open window. You can remove attachments only from messages that are stored on your computer. For example, you cannot delete attachments from online POP mail accounts, IMAP mail accounts, or news articles.
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Format menu
Command name Description
Rich Text (HTML Styles) Opens a toolbar where you can apply HTML styles, such as bold, underline, or create a bulleted list to a message.
Text Size Applies the text size to the selected text.
Text Style Applies the style to the selected text.
Text Color Applies the color to the selected text.
Font Changes the font used to display the current message.
Background Color Applies the selected color to the background of the message.
Character Set Changes the character set used to display the current message. The character sets displayed in italic are not available. You must have an Apple Language Kit to use this feature.
Heading Applies the heading style to the selected text.
Alignment Applies the alignment to the selected text.
Bullet List Applies a bullet list style to the selected text.
Insert Horizontal Line Places a horizontal line at the insertion point.
Increase Indent Increases the left and right margins.
Decrease Indent Decreases the left and right margins.
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Tools menu
Send & Receive Lists the following commands.(To locate the Send & Receive All check box referred to below, choose Preferences on the Edit menu, and then click Advanced.)
Send & Receive All Sends all messages in your Outbox folder and receives all messages from every mail server account in which the Do Not Include In Send & Receive All check box is selected.
Receive All Receives messages from every mail account except those for which the Do Not Include In Send & Receive All check box is clear.
Receive (account specific) Receives all messages from the selected account except those for which the Do Not Include In Send & Receive All check box is clear.
Send All Sends all messages stored in your Outbox folder from every mail account except those for which the Do Not Include In Send & Receive All check box is clear.
Post All News Post news messages to the newsgroup.
Spelling Verifies the spelling of a message. You must have Office 98 installed to use this feature.
Check Names Checks for unresolved recipients using your Contacts and default directory service.
Add Sender to Contacts Adds the sender of a message to Contacts.
Newsgroup Rules Sets automatic tasks for newsgroup messages.
Mail Rules Sets automatic tasks for incoming mail messages.
Signatures Opens a dialog box where you can create signatures to be used for outgoing messages
Subscribe Marks an IMAP folder or a newsgroup so that it will appear in the folder list.
Unsubscribe Changes the status of an IMAP folder or newsgroup so that it will not appear in the folder list.
Compact Reduces the size of folders to save space on your computer. Choose a folder from the menu.
Empty Cache Deletes the cache from the specified account.
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Window menu
Command name Description
Outlook Express Opens the Outlook Express window.
Contacts Opens the Contacts window.
Progress Opens the Progress window.
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Help (?) menu
Command name Description
Outlook Express Help Opens Help for Outlook Express.
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File helper directory

The table below lists common MIME types and provides suggested helper applications. Please read the Microsoft disclaimer before visiting the sites listed below.

MIME Type Description Extensions Suggested File Match
application/pdf Adobe Acrobat file pdf Adobe Acrobat Reader
application/postscript PostScript file ai, eps, ps Ghostscript
application/rtf Rich Text Format file rtf Most word-processor applications including Microsoft Word
application/x-compress UNIX compressed file Z StuffIt Expander 4.0.1 (with DropStuff 4.0)
application/x-director Macromedia Director animation file dcr Shockwave
application/x-gzip GNUzip compressed file gz StuffIt Expander 4.0.1 (with DropStuff 4.0)
application/x-tar TAR file archive tar StuffIt Expander 4.0.1 (with DropStuff 4.0)
application/x-zip compressed PKZIP compressed file zip StuffIt Expander 4.0.1 (with DropStuff 4.0)
audio/basic Sun/NeXT sound file au, snd Internet Explorer
audio/mp2 MPEG sound file mp2 MPEG Audio for Macintosh
audio/x-aiff Apple (AIFF) sound file aiff, aif, aifc Internet Explorer
audio/x-pn-realaudio RealAudio sound file ra, ram, rar RealAudio Player
audio/x-wav Windows sound file wav Internet Explorer
image/gif GIF graphic gif Built-in support. You must install QuickTime 2.5.
image/jpeg JPEG graphic jpeg, jpg, jpe Built-in support. You must install QuickTime 2.5.
image/tiff TIFF graphic tiff, tif NIH Image
text/html HTML file html Internet Explorer
text/plain Plain text file txt Built-in Support
text/tab-separated-values TSV graph tsv Built-in Support as plain-text or most popular spreadsheet applications including Microsoft Excel
video/mpeg MPEG video mpeg, mpg, mpe Sparkle
video/quicktime QuickTime movie qt, mov Internet Explorer
video/x-msvideo Windows movie avi Internet Explorer

Related Topics
Glossary (MIME)
Setting up file helpers to view attachments in messages

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