How to Set Defaults in Navigation Pane

[Bob]

I just recently switched computers at work, and am now using
Outlook 2003 (formerly used Outlook 2000). I'm having
trouble figuring out the Navigation Pane.

Specifically, I'd like to have the a different calendar
rather than my personal calendar appear by default when I
click on the calendar button at the bottom of the pane.
Similarly, when I click on the contacts button, I'd like my
company's contacts to appear by default, rather than my
personal contacts.

Right now, when I click on the Calendar button at the bottom
of the Navigation Pane, for example, my personal calendar
appears. Toward the bottom of the Navigation Pane, there's a
check in the box for "Calendar," which appears under the
heading "My Calendars." There's another heading, "Other
Calendars," under them, and under it I can select other
calendars, including my company's calendar -- the one that's
on the network (in our system, it's called "Company
Calendar"). If I check the box next to "Company Calendar"
and uncheck the box next to "Calendar," then as long as
Outlook remains open I can switch around to other windows,
and when I again click the "Calendar" button at the bottom
of the Navigation Pane, I get the Company Calendar. But if I
exit Outlook and then re-launch it, my personal calendar
becomes the default again.

Is there a way that I can permanently change the defaults?

Thanks.

 

[Diane Poremsky]

No, the default is always your default folder of that type.

 

[Bob]

No, the default is always your default folder of that type.

What a step backward. In Outlook 2000 I could select what I
wanted to appear on the left side.

But thanks for letting me know.

 

[Brian Tillman]

What a step backward. In Outlook 2000 I could select what I
wanted to appear on the left side.

You can certainly put what you want into your Favorites and then it will
appear in the Navigation Pane, but Outlook 2000 didn't allow changing
default folders, either.

 

[Bob]

You can certainly put what you want into your Favorites
and then it will appear in the Navigation Pane, but
Outlook 2000 didn't allow changing default folders, either.

I may well have not been aware of various features in
Outlook 2000, but the way I had it set up, I personally
never "saw" anything appearing as a default. Everything was
equal: I could chose what icons appeared on the left and put
them in whatever order I wanted.

Thus, on the left side, I could make an icon appear for the
company calendar, and one for my personal calendar, along
with other icons. I put them in the order I wanted. Then,
depending one which one I wanted to go to (always the
company calendar), it took only one click.

As far as I can see, in Outlook 2003, if I want to see the
company calendar, I have to click on a calendar icon at the
bottom of the panel on the left. That produces the "default"
calendar (my personal calendar). I then have to check the
box next to the company calendar and uncheck the box next to
the personal calendar to get the view that I want. Three
clicks instead of one.

That's why I said it seemed like a step backward. I don't
know from defaults, but I do know that it's nice to be able
to use one click instead of three.

Is there really no way to do this with one click? For
example, a way to make the company calendar the "default
calendar"?

Thanks.

 

[Brian Tillman]

I may well have not been aware of various features in
Outlook 2000, but the way I had it set up, I personally
never "saw" anything appearing as a default. Everything was
equal: I could chose what icons appeared on the left and put
them in whatever order I wanted.

So, you used the Outlook Bar exclusively and never bothered with the
Folder List.
Is there really no way to do this with one click? For
example, a way to make the company calendar the "default
calendar"?

No, and there wasn't in Outlook 2000, either. You can, however, add links
to the folders of your choice to your Shortcuts view.

 

[Bob]

No, I used both, and kept them both in view all the time.

I had my screen divided into three sections.

The Outlook Bar (though I didn't particularly know it was
called that) was on the left. It had various icons to
single-click on frequently accessed things that I wanted to
look at. It worked like the Shortcuts view in Outlook 2003.

The Folder List was in the middle.

On the right was whatever I selected from either the Outlook
Bar on the left or the Folder List in the middle.

The set-up worked fine for me because I have a large
monitor.

I'd like to get that same set-up in Outlook 2003. It may be
possible, but in Outlook 2000 it was there by default, and
in Outlook 2003 I just haven't got the hang of how to do it
-- assuming it can be done.

No, and there wasn't in Outlook 2000, either.

I understood the part about the "default." But in Outlook
2000 I could get there in one click, while keeping the
Folder List in view. I don't see how to do that in Outlook
2003.

You can, however, add links to the folders of your choice
to your Shortcuts view.

The Shortcuts view does *part* of what I want -- a panel on
the left where I can select the company calendar or company
contact with one click, and what I select then appears on
the right. However, I haven't been using the Shortcuts view
because, unlike in the case of the panel that I had on the
left side in Outlook 2000, bringing up the Shortcuts view
makes the Folder List disappear.

Is there some way to configure it in three panes: shortcuts
(or whatever) on the left; Folder List in the middle; and
whatever I'm looking at (messages, calendar, contacts) on
the right? Or, if that can't be done with the Shortcuts
view, is there some other way to do it?

I do like the idea in Outlook 2003 -- small icons for
calendar and contacts *under* the Folder List, so that the
screen is divided into only two panes, with the Folder List
always being visible. It's just that it's not useful for me,
since it arbitrarily sets what I'm now told are unchangeable
defaults that I almost never use. Therefore, it appears that
I'm stuck trying to get a 3-pane view to duplicate what I
had in Outlook 2000. Hoping that's possible.

Thanks.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Is there some way to configure it in three panes: shortcuts
(or whatever) on the left; Folder List in the middle; and
whatever I'm looking at (messages, calendar, contacts) on
the right? Or, if that can't be done with the Shortcuts
view, is there some other way to do it?

I don't know of any way to achieve what you want with Outlook 2003.

 

[Bob]

I don't know of any way to achieve what you
want with Outlook 2003.

Thanks for considering my issue.