 |
| AutoText, an element of Quick Parts |
Don't you just hate typing the same old thing over and over again? If you've already created an email signature then you've already discovered Microsoft Outlook Quick Parts and you are perhaps asking yourself whether you can take it a bit further and create other fragments of text that you can use to automate your routine emails.
Of course you can, you need to create AutoText entries and give your fingers a rest. AutoText is an element of Quick Parts and is a collection of sentences or entire paragraphs that can be dropped into emails to save typing and ensure accuracy and consistency.
Usually you are in the middle of typing an email when you say to yourself "I type that an awful lot" and then you create some AutoText. If you want to do it in advance then make sure that you are in the body section of an email otherwise you will not be able to find the things you need or they will be there but greyed out. So, click New Email.
Of course you can, you need to create AutoText entries and give your fingers a rest. AutoText is an element of Quick Parts and is a collection of sentences or entire paragraphs that can be dropped into emails to save typing and ensure accuracy and consistency.
Usually you are in the middle of typing an email when you say to yourself "I type that an awful lot" and then you create some AutoText. If you want to do it in advance then make sure that you are in the body section of an email otherwise you will not be able to find the things you need or they will be there but greyed out. So, click New Email.
 |
| Creating new AutoText |
Type in some text and then select it. Go to the Insert tab, click the Quick Parts control and see if you can spot AutoText in the drop down menu. Click AutoText and then Save Selection to AutoText Gallery.
Enter a suitable name for your entry. You can name these anything you want, but be careful here as you won't be able to edit them once you've created them. Under Options decide whether the text should appear as a sentence (Insert content only) or as a paragraph (Insert content in its own paragraph)
So now anytime I need to put together a very routine email I go to Quick Parts and choose any one of my saved entries. See how quickly you can bash out standard emails. Grovelling replies, quotations, declarations, standard terms, sign off paragraphs etc. All your "blah-di-blahs" in one place. Just choose from a list and drop them in.
Enter a suitable name for your entry. You can name these anything you want, but be careful here as you won't be able to edit them once you've created them. Under Options decide whether the text should appear as a sentence (Insert content only) or as a paragraph (Insert content in its own paragraph)
So now anytime I need to put together a very routine email I go to Quick Parts and choose any one of my saved entries. See how quickly you can bash out standard emails. Grovelling replies, quotations, declarations, standard terms, sign off paragraphs etc. All your "blah-di-blahs" in one place. Just choose from a list and drop them in.
Editing Quick Parts
You can't seem to edit your Quick Parts once you have created them. But you can override them. For example, if I decide that I want a particular AutoText to be a little bit different I can simply drop it into my email, change it, select it, go back to Quick Parts and Save. When I save it, I must use exactly the same name I used before and click OK. Outlook asks me if I would like to redefine the building block entry and I click Yes.
AutoText in your face
 |
| AutoText on the Quick Access Toolbar |
Usually you want to have your AutoText right where you need it—in your face, not stuck on some ribbon tab!
If you use your AutoText entries all the time then why not put them on your Quick Access Toolbar? It takes a few clicks but then they're there forever.
Firstly, you must make sure that you are in the body of an email before you do this otherwise it is not going to happen. So, click New Email.
Click File, Options and down the left hand side, Quick Access Toolbar. Looking over to the right, click All Commands under Choose commands from.
Nearly there. The final bit is to scroll down the list to AutoText, select it and then click the Add button to add it to your Quick Access Toolbar. Click the OK button and you're finished.
If you use your AutoText entries all the time then why not put them on your Quick Access Toolbar? It takes a few clicks but then they're there forever.
Firstly, you must make sure that you are in the body of an email before you do this otherwise it is not going to happen. So, click New Email.
Click File, Options and down the left hand side, Quick Access Toolbar. Looking over to the right, click All Commands under Choose commands from.
Nearly there. The final bit is to scroll down the list to AutoText, select it and then click the Add button to add it to your Quick Access Toolbar. Click the OK button and you're finished.
 |
| Finding AutoText in the All Commands list |
No comments:
Post a Comment