Possible to assign a default "category" to all new emails?

[StargateFanFromWork]

Is there a way to set a category as a default so that whenever we go to
compose a new message, that default is already in the category? It seems no
category is set on factory default.

Thanks! D

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

not in version prior to Outlook 2007 - and even it doesn't assign a category
on new items automatically. you can use an after sending rule to assign a
category or create a custom form and use it instead. Or use VBA to pop up a
category selector dialog.

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Create a new message form (tools->forms->design a form) and enter the
category you want. Give it a unique name and publish the form to your
personal forms library or the organization forms library if you want others
to have access to it.

Then make it the default new form by right clicking on the inbox folder,
select properties and use the dropdown to locate your form and make it the
default.


--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, StargateFanFromWork asked:

| Is there a way to set a category as a default so that whenever we go
| to compose a new message, that default is already in the category?
| It seems no category is set on factory default.
|
| Thanks! D

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Nope, that won't work for two reasons:

1) You can't make a message form the default for any folder.
2) A custom message form always sends Winmail.dat (except for plain text messages), which means attachments aren't accessible to non-Outlook recipients.

A better solution might be to use a little Outlook VBA code to populate the Categories property on each new item. I'll wait for StargateFanFromWork to tell us whether that sounds useful.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Ah well, live and learn, and it sounded so good in theory!

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] asked:

| Nope, that won't work for two reasons:
|
| 1) You can't make a message form the default for any folder.
| 2) A custom message form always sends Winmail.dat (except for plain
| text messages), which means attachments aren't accessible to
| non-Outlook recipients.
|
| A better solution might be to use a little Outlook VBA code to
| populate the Categories property on each new item. I'll wait for
| StargateFanFromWork to tell us whether that sounds useful.
|
|
| "Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]"
| || Create a new message form (tools->forms->design a form) and enter the
|| category you want. Give it a unique name and publish the form to
|| your personal forms library or the organization forms library if you
|| want others to have access to it.
||
|| Then make it the default new form by right clicking on the inbox
|| folder, select properties and use the dropdown to locate your form
|| and make it the default.
||
||
|| --
|| Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]
||
|| Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
|| unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
|| reading.
||
|| After furious head scratching, StargateFanFromWork asked:
||
||| Is there a way to set a category as a default so that whenever we go
||| to compose a new message, that default is already in the category?
||| It seems no category is set on factory default.
|||
||| Thanks! D