Somehow you are missing the point. Yes, "contacts" have a lot of nice
features, but it would be naive to suggest that all of my email work should
start in the contacts folder by selecting recipients first, then starting the
email. Actually, for many of us, I always type the email first, to make sure
I don't accidently send a draft email to someone by mistake, plus it makes me
think twice before sending to make sure I have sent any attachments that I
promise in the email. Sometimes I reply to an email, then need to click the
"To" button to add more recipients. But those reasons alone are not the
biggest reason of all.
The issue is when you want to create a rule, such as, all emails from people
associated with a particular activity should be moved to folder dedicated to
that activity, you only have the address book to look through. Which is
kiling me since I just finished updating all of the contacts with a category
label for that activity. Now, I have to remember the 25 names of people that
will be sending me email, because I can't look by anything other than name.
In fact, the "more columns" feature does nothing at all.
If "Address Book" is an orphaned feature, then why is is relied upon by
Outlook so much? If I hadn't spent several hundred dollars on Office 2007,
then I might overlook it.
Surely there is an easier way.
"Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:
> Outlook is hardly an orphan program. It is constantly undergoing
> development. What you missed is that the address book interface has been
> completely deprecated and is not where Outlook's developers intended for you
> to manage your Contacts. Learn to use Outlook as it was designed. Use your
> Contacts Folders, not the address book view of your Contacts Folders.
> --
> Russ Valentine
> [MVP-Outlook]
> "nantucketbob" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:AF17BF6E-634C-4D8B-BA39-(E-Mail Removed)...
> > I'm confused. When I start a new email there is a "To:" icon to click.
> > It
> > brings up the address book. It would be nice to be able to sort the email
> > addresses.
> >
> > On a tangent, it appears that Outlook is an "orphan" program, not given
> > much
> > attention by Microsoft. Although web-based email is fine, I would be lost
> > without the robust contact features of Outlook.
> >
> > "Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:
> >
> >> Here's a clue you seem to have missed: Outlook abandoned the address book
> >> interface years ago. It has never allowed robust searching or sorting.
> >> Those
> >> features have always been in the Contacts Folders where they will remain.
> >> --
> >> Russ Valentine
> >> [MVP-Outlook]
> >> "nantucketbob" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> >> news:3BF54AFE-717F-45D9-8C29-(E-Mail Removed)...
> >> >I hope Outlook 2007 allows one to SORT the address book by email address
> >> >and
> >> > display name.
> >> >
> >> > ----------------
> >> > This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
> >> > suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the
> >> > "I
> >> > Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow
> >> > this
> >> > link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and
> >> > then
> >> > click "I Agree" in the message pane.
> >> >
> >> > http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...utlook.general
> >>
> >>
>
>