"Outlook 2003 Message: How to Compose Email Messages?"

The Outlook 2003 Message is the basic unit of communication within Outlook. A message can contain multiple items, one of which is the actual message.

Microsoft Outlook 2003 allows the user to compose new mail messages, send messages, receive messages and read incoming mail messages.

When composing a message, Outlook displays the Message form with an Options icon on the toolbar. The Message form is used to add message recipients, a message subject and the body of the message. The Options icon is used to set general, delivery and tracking options for the mail message.

To compose a message

• From the File menu, point to New and click Mail Message.

• From the Message dialog box displayed, the screen consists of the message toolbar and the following sections.

Addressing Outlook 2003 Messages

Outlook 2003 Message can be sent to individual or multiple recipients. If the user knows the names of the recipients, they can be typed in the To box with each recipient name separated from the next by a semicolon, otherwise the user can select recipients from the Global Address List.

The subject text typed is important, as this is displayed in the recipient's Inbox. Once the message has been addressed and the subject text typed, the user is then ready to type the Outlook 2003 message they require. The [TAB] key is used to move from one area to the next.

To select names

• In the To box, click the To.. button to select Names from the address books.

• In the Type Name or Select from List: box, select the required recipient name and either double click on it or click To -> button to add the name to the recipient list. The [SHIFT] key can be used to select multiple names from the list. The selected recipient name(s) will display in the To Message Recipients box.
• Repeat the above step to add further recipients and change the address book displayed at the top right corner of the select names dialog box if you need to select names from different address book.
• Select the name(s) of the recipient(s) who are to receive a copy of the message and click Cc -> or Bcc -> to add the selected names to the Cc and Bcc Message Recipients box. (The Bcc recipients will be hidden from the rest of recipients list).
• Click OK to return to the message form all the selected names will be displayed in the corresponding address fields.

Before you send a Outlook 2003 message, Microsoft Outlook automatically checks the names you type in the To, Cc, and Bcc boxes against the names in the Address Book and against those contact folders that you've specified as Outlook Address Books.

If an exact match is found, the name is underlined. If multiple matches are found, a red, wavy line appears under the name. Right-click the name to see the matches.

If multiple matches are found, and you have used the address before, the name you chose previously is displayed in the box with a green, dashed underline to remind you that there are other matches. Right-click the name to see the matches.

You can also manually check names in messages by clicking the Check Names button on the message toolbar.

Sending Messages

Once the user has composed a mail message, the message can then be sent to the relevant recipients.

To send a message

• Compose the message.
• From the File menu, click Send. The message is dispatched to the recipients.

To view sent messages

• In the Navigation Pane, select the Sent Items folder.
• A list of messages sent will display in the View Pane.

Saving Unsent Messages

Outlook 2003 Message can be composed and saved to the Draft folder. When the message is ready to be sent, it can be opened from draft, edited and sent.

To save message as a Draft

• Compose the message.
• In the Message form, choose File, and click Close and choose Yes to save changes to the item.

To open unsent messages

• In the Draft folder, double-click on the message to open.
• Make any amendments to the message.
• To send the message, click the Send icon.

To cancel a message

• Compose the message.
• In the Message form press Esc to close the window.
• Choose No to save the changes to the item. The Message form automatically closes without sending or saving the message.

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