Last week's column concerned basics for sending and receiving e-mail using Microsoft Outlook Express 5.0. Today, I would like to continue that topic by discussing some of the more advanced options available to users of that application. These same options are available on other e-mail systems if you just look for them. For reference I am once again including the Outlook Express 5.0 toolbar.

Outlook Express 5.0 Toolbar
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Printing E-Mail Messages

Assuming that you have a printer connected to your computer, it is very easy to print any e-mail message that you receive. Click on the message to open it and then click on the Print icon on the toolbar or choose Print from the File Pull-down menu on your regular system toolbar that is always at the top of your screen. You can print a message you are sending (before you send it) by choosing Print from the File Pull-down menu.

Using Find and Flag

Find will allow you to search for a specific word or words in a specific e-mail. Frankly, I can't see using Find unless you have a very long message. I find it easier to just scroll down my message looking for something specific. The Flag option allows you to insert a flag symbol to the left of any specific message. That is a great help if you have a number of messages in your inbox and want to remember to follow up on a specific message.

Address Book

The Address Book serves several functions. Just as the name implies, it is a place to keep specific e-mail addresses for future use. Once you have an address saved you can have it automatically inserted in future messages. When you open a new message window and the box opens for the insertion of a recipient address you can type the first letter of the person or the address. A second window will then open that lists everyone saved in your address book whose name or e-mail address starts with that letter and you just choose the right one. At this point I have to confess to a mistake I recently made. I typed a message to my daughter that said "Your shoes are at the post office. They need to be signed for." I didn't include her name nor did I sign it because she knew what it meant and that it was from me. However, instead of choosing her name from the list as the recipient I inadvertently choose the name below hers. That happened to be my friend Jacek from Poland. A couple of days later I received a very polite note from Jacek asking me to explain my American humor as he did not understand my message. Moral: Choose carefully.

The Address Book function allows you to automatically add the name and e-mail address of anyone who sends you a message. Click a message from the sender you want to add to the Address Book. Then go to the Tools Pull-down menu and click "Add to Address Book." I think that is so cool. You just don't have to worry about accurately copying an address.

Another option offered by the Address Book is to create a group. Any group of people to whom you routinely send the same message can be accessed with just one click once you have created it. Here are the steps for creating a group. The steps for adding members to the group follows.

1. Click Address Book.
2. Click New Group.
3. In the Group Name box, type a name for the group.
4. Click Add, and then add members to the group.
5. Click Save Group.

If you would prefer that message recipients not see the addresses of other group members, select the "Don't show addresses when sending to group" box by clicking on it.

1. To add a member to a group
2. Click Address Book
3. Double-click the group you want to add a member to.
4. Click Add, and then do one of the following:
   1. To add a person or another group from your Address Book, type the first few letters of the person or group's name, and then click the appropriate entry on the pop-up menu. 
   2. To add a person who is not in your Address Book, type the person's e-mail address - [email protected], for example.
5. Repeat until you have your group set and then click "Save Group"

To remove a member from a group

1. Click Address Book.
2. Double-click the group you want to remove a member from.
3. Click the member you want to remove, and then click Remove. To remove an additional member from the group, repeat step 3.
4. Click Save Group.

Once you have a group created, it will show up in the automatic pop up list whenever you type the first letter of the group's name and you just select it as the recipient.

Signatures

Another great option of this application is the Signatures option. It allows you to program in as many varieties of signatures as you wish and then choose the appropriate one with one click. For instance, I have one programmed signature block that I use when answering mail related to my column. I have another that I use when transacting auction business. To create signatures click on "Signatures" under the Tools Pull-down menu. The following window will open

As you can see, you have various options for creating signature's to meet your needs. You can choose fonts, font size, font color, and choose to bold, italicize, or underline.

To insert your signature block choose "Signatures" from the Message Pull-down menu at the end of your message. Signatures will open a second, small window with all the signatures you have created. Move the cursor down to the one you want and release. The signature will be automatically added to your message.

Blocking Mail

You may find yourself in a situation in which you do not want to receive e-mail from a particular individual. With this application you can block messages so that they don't get through to you. This method also prevents blocked messages from sitting in your POP account taking up space. The fallacy with this is that a determined sender can change his or her e-mail address and contact you again, but you still have the advantage and can block as frequently as they can try and set up new e-mail accounts.

To activate a block, choose "Rules" from the Outlook Express Tools menu.

Rules Window
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When it opens select "From" from the Pull-down menu on the far left side of the window. When you do that, the second Pull-down menu will become activated along with the box on the right. All you have to do is select the appropriate option from the second Pull-down menu and add the e-mail address that you want excluded. Once you have clicked OK you no longer receive any messages from that address. An even easier trick is to open the offending e-mail, and while it is open, go to the Rules option. The computer will automatically insert the e-mail address of the sender for you.

I have found that this works well even with junk mail messages and, since implementing some blocks of my own, I am no longer getting mail selling sexually explicit material or mail in languages I don't read. It is no big deal, but it is nice not to have to keep deleting those messages all the time.

Believe it or not, there is still more on e-mail that I haven't yet covered. I'll discuss it one more time, next week. Meanwhile, if you have any specific questions about this subject please send them to me and I will try and find answers.

NOTE: Speaking of e-mail, my personal e-mail system, to which my Mac Observer mail is automatically forwarded, developed a hitch in it's get-a-long this week and numerous messages were lost. Observers who wrote to me in the past week without receiving an answer, are encouraged to write again.

For some time now my column has had no logo. The old one went away when the column changed names and I have never gotten a new one. Readers are encouraged to submit logos for consideration. The winning logo will be adopted for my column with appropriate recognition going to the developer.

If you have any tips, suggestions, or other comments about this, or any other Mac topics, send them to me so that I can share them with other readers.