Chapter 28 - Working with Messaging Systems and Connectivity Software

Article
02/20/2014

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For information about upgrading to Microsoft Outlook from other e-mail applications, see Chapter 13, "Upgrading to Microsoft Outlook."
For information about how Outlook works with other Office applications, see Chapter 27, "Sharing Information with Microsoft Office Applications."
For information about using individual Office applications in a workgroup, see the application-specific chapters in Part 5, "Using Microsoft Office Throughout Your Organization."

Interoperability with Electronic Mail

Microsoft Office 97 for Windows and Microsoft Office 98 for Macintosh applications are mail-enabled: They can make use of the e-mail application installed on your computer. In addition, Outlook can use Microsoft Word for composing e-mail messages, a feature known as WordMail. This interoperability of Office applications and e-mail is not dependent on a specific e-mail application, but instead depends on the interface that underlies many e-mail applications.

Most e-mail applications adhere to either MAPI or Vendor Independent Messaging (VIM). MAPI and VIM provide a common interface that Office applications can use; the details of the specific e-mail application do not matter. This section explains how Office works with MAPI and VIM e-mail applications.

Integrating Electronic Mail with Office

The Office 97 and 98 applications include commands to send and route documents through e-mail. In Office 97 (Windows), these commands work with simple MAPI applications as well as applications that support MAPI 1.0 or later, such as Microsoft Mail 3.x for Windows and Microsoft Exchange Client. These commands also work with 16-bit VIM-based mail applications, including cc:Mail and Lotus Notes.

In Office 98 (Macintosh), users running one of the following programs can both route and send documents through e-mail:

Quarterdeck Mail
Microsoft Mail
StarNine Mail

Macintosh users can also distribute documents though e-mail using the Send command (File menu) if they have an e-mail program that supports the SMTP standard (for example, Outlook Express, Eudora Pro or Light, or Claris Emailer).

The following sections describe how the Office 97 Setup program or Office 98 installer program installs e-mail capability, how to configure Word as your e-mail editor, and how to use e-mail commands in Office applications.

Note Windows NT Workstation version 3.51 and 4.0 do not support 16-bit VIM applications.

Installing E-mail Capability

The Office 97 Setup program or Office 98 installer program installs e-mail capability automatically if you already have an e-mail client (such as Microsoft Exchange Client or Outlook Express) installed on the computer. If you are running Office 97 (Windows) and have more than one e-mail client, you can designate during Setup which client the Office applications use.

The installer program in Office 98 for the Macintosh does not add any files during the setup process for e-mail support. That functionality is built into the Microsoft Office 98 library. The Office 97 (Windows) Setup program installs the following files for e-mail support.

DLL File	Purpose
Mapi32	Provides 32-bit MAPI support
Mapivi32	Provides 16-bit VIM support
Mapivitk	Communicates with the 16-bit VIM information service

To install VIM for Office 97 applications (Windows only)

Start the Office Setup program.
If you are running Setup for the first time, click Custom.

– or –

If you are running Setup after Office 97 has been installed, click Add/Remove.
Select the Office Tools option and then click Change Option.
Select the Lotus VIM Mail Support check box.

Using WordMail (Windows only)

Users of Outlook or Microsoft Exchange Client can use Word as their e-mail editor. WordMail allows you to use the editing and formatting capabilities of Word when you compose messages, but maintains compatibility with plain-text e-mail applications.

Installing WordMail

WordMail is installed when you choose the Typical installation during Setup. After running Setup, you can choose whether to use WordMail by making it available or unavailable. If you install Outlook with Office, WordMail is available by default.

To make WordMail available or unavailable for use with Outlook

On the Outlook Tools menu, click Options, and then click the E-mail tab.
Select or clear the Use Microsoft Word as the e-mail editor check box.

Note WordMail does not support Microsoft Exchange Client extensions. If you install custom extensions, you must disable WordMail to use the extensions.

Setting Up E-mail Templates

By default WordMail uses the Email.dot template when you compose messages. This template provides styles for message headers and also provides predefined shortcut key functions.

By modifying this template, you can customize the appearance of the message headers, forward and reply headers, fonts, and message text. If you want to create customized WordMail templates, start with a copy of Email.dot to retain the basic e-mail orientation of this template. For example, you can customize the WordMail Formatting toolbar by modifying it in Email.dot or in a customized copy of this template.

Composing and Viewing Messages with WordMail

WordMail gives e-mail users access to most of the features of Word, including formatting, AutoCorrect, the spelling checker, and macros. The highlighter pen is particularly useful to mark areas of interest in long messages and replies.

A few Word features are unavailable in WordMail:

The New command (File menu)

Use commands on the Compose menu in Outlook to start a new WordMail message.
The Save All command (File menu)

Because each message is in its own window, Save All is not needed.
The Templates command (File menu)

To change the template used for WordMail messages, click Options on the Outlook Tools menu, click the E-mail tab, and then click Template to change templates. You cannot change the template for a message after you open or start composing a message.
The Send To command (File menu)

Send documents directly from Outlook, or create a document in Word and then route or send it.
The Print Preview command (File menu)

To preview a WordMail message, paste it into a separate Word document and use the Word Print Preview command (File menu). This gives you a preview of the body of the message only, without the message headers (name, address, and subject lines), which are always included when you print the message in Outlook. To print the Outlook headers on a separate page from the message text, insert a page break at the beginning of the message text in WordMail. This preserves pagination of the body of the message.
The MailMerge and Envelopes And Labels commands (Tools menu)

To use WordMail messages in mailings, copy the message into a separate Word document.
The Customize command (Tools menu)

To change the WordMail Formatting toolbar, modify it in Email.dot or in a customized copy of the Email.dot template.
The Window menu

Because each message is in its own window, the Window menu commands are not needed. To view the message in a split window, copy the message to a separate Word document.

Sending Messages Between WordMail and Other E-mail Applications

Both Outlook and WordMail save messages in Rich Text Format (RTF). To be compatible with other e-mail clients and editors, WordMail saves messages in both RTF and plain-text formats. Recipients who do not have WordMail, such as users of Microsoft Mail 3.x for Windows or cc:Mail, receive the plain-text version.

When converting from RTF to plain text, WordMail converts the RTF items to their nearest plain-text equivalent. If the converted message is returned to WordMail from the plain-text application, all of the RTF items that were converted to plain text remain plain text. WordMail does not reconvert the message to RTF format.

The text editor in Outlook supports some but not all of the RTF features available in WordMail. If you are running Outlook but have not enabled WordMail, you can see most of the rich text in a message created in WordMail. For information about Outlook support of RTF, see "Sharing Information with Microsoft Exchange Client" in Chapter 13, "Upgrading to Microsoft Outlook."

Using E-mail Commands in Office Applications

When Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint are installed with e-mail capabilities, the Send To submenu appears on the File menu of each application. Commands on this submenu allow you to send the document as e-mail or to route the document to a number of recipients. The Mail Recipient command starts the e-mail client and creates a new message that includes the document as an attachment. The Routing Recipient command opens the Add Routing Slip dialog box, where you enter a list of recipients, an accompanying message, and routing options.

Unlike the other Office 97 (Windows) applications, when Microsoft Access is set up to use e-mail, the Send command appears on the File menu. This command has the same function as the Mail Recipient command in the other Office applications. Access users who want to route information must export the information to one of the other Office applications.

When Outlook is installed with Office 97 on a computer connected to Microsoft Exchange Server, the Send To submenu on the File menu in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word also includes the Exchange Folder command. This command allows you to post a copy of a document in a public folder so that others can open it. For more information about public folders, see your Microsoft Exchange Server documentation.

Using Address Books (Windows only)

Word 97 (Windows) and WordMail allow you to choose names and addresses from the MAPI personal address book (PAB) or the Outlook or Schedule+ 95 contact list stored on your computer. Click the Insert Address button to see a list of the names most recently used, or to browse the address book.

When you insert names and addresses using the Insert Address button, their content and layout are determined by the AutoText entries NameLayout and AddressLayout. You can modify these AutoText entries to conform to the address requirements of your e-mail application.

The default NameLayout and AddressLayout AutoText entries map to properties in the address book or contact list as follows, where the vertical bar ( | ) means OR, curly brackets ( {} ) enclose alternatives, and \r indicates a carriage return.

The NameLayout entry maps to these properties:

{<PR_GIVEN_NAME> <PR_SURNAME> | <PR_DISPLAY_NAME>}

The AddressLayout entry maps to these properties:

{{<PR_GIVEN_NAME> <PR_SURNAME> | <PR_DISPLAY_NAME>}\r} 
{{<PR_STREET_ADDRESS>\r} 
{{<PR_LOCALITY>}{, <PR_STATE_OR_PROVINCE> <PR_POSTAL_CODE>}\r} 
{<PR_COUNTRY>\r} 
| <PR_POSTAL_ADDRESS>\r}

The address book capability has the following limitations:

To have access to the MAPI PAB, MAPI support (such as that provided by Outlook) must be installed on your computer.
To set up a Contact list, Schedule+ 1.0 users must upgrade to Outlook or Schedule+ 95.

Supporting Mailing, Routing, and Posting

In Office 97 (Windows), the WordMail and Office Binder features may increase the e-mail traffic on your network. Both Outlook and WordMail messages are larger than plain-text messages. This is true especially if your environment mixes WordMail and plain-text e-mail clients, because plain-text clients receive both plain text and RTF versions of messages from WordMail users. WordMail messages are slightly larger than Outlook messages, but are smaller than a Word document sent as an attachment to an e-mail message. Office Binder files can result in large e-mail messages.

Use the following guidelines to make the best use of network resources:

When a document can be passed from one recipient to another, encourage users to route the document instead of mailing a separate copy to each recipient.
Let users know the maximum message size accepted by your e-mail application, and explain what happens when they exceed this size.
Encourage users to consider alternatives to mailing large documents.
For example, users can copy large documents to a network server and mail links to the shared file using the Windows Package application. If your site has Microsoft Exchange Server, users can post large documents to public folders. Alternatively, users can share their computer or a folder on their computer over the network.

Interoperability with MS Exchange Server

To post documents to public folders from Office applications, install Microsoft Outlook with Office. When Outlook is installed, the command Exchange Folder is added to the Send To submenu (File menu) in Excel, PowerPoint, and Word. Public folders are available only to users who are connected to Microsoft Exchange Server.

Posting Documents to Public Folders

Users can post documents directly from the Office applications to any public folders for which they have permission. To post a document, users must first log on to Microsoft Exchange Server and open the document they want to share with other Microsoft Exchange users.

To post an Office document to a public folder

On the File menu, point to Send To, and then click Exchange Folder.
Select the public folder in which to post the document.

For information about setting up Microsoft Exchange Server and making public folders available to users, see your Microsoft Exchange Server documentation.

Creating Custom Properties and Views in Public Folders

Using Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server, you can create custom views of the information stored in public folders. Custom views allow you to display details about the stored information and to display them in a particular sequence. When Office documents are posted to a public folder, custom views can make use of the properties stored with each document. You can create highly customized views by basing them on custom properties in documents. For example, a custom view could list information about all documents associated with a particular project using a custom Project Name property.

For information about creating custom views see your Microsoft Exchange Server documentation. For information about using document properties in Office applications, see Chapter 23, "Tracking Collaboration with Document Properties."

Interoperability with MS Mail 3.x

Office applications work with Microsoft Mail 3.x clients, but Office users who use a Microsoft Mail 3.x client for e-mail are limited as follows:

They cannot use WordMail.

In a mixed e-mail environment, WordMail messages are delivered to Microsoft Mail 3.x clients as plain text.
They cannot post documents to public folders.

This capability requires the Microsoft Exchange Server and client software, such as Outlook or Microsoft Exchange Client.

Interoperability with MS Outlook Express

Office 98 (Macintosh) applications work with the Microsoft Outlook Express 4.0 for Macintosh client, but Office users who use a Microsoft Outlook Express client for e-mail are limited as follows:

They cannot use WordMail.

In a mixed e-mail environment, WordMail messages are delivered to Microsoft Outlook Express clients as plain text.
They cannot post documents to public folders.

This capability requires the Microsoft Exchange Server and client software, such as Outlook or Microsoft Exchange Client.

In addition, sending and routing documents through e-mail are the only integration features available to Office 98 users who use Outlook Express as their e-mail client.

Interoperability with Lotus Notes Mail and cc:Mail

Office applications work with Lotus Notes Mail or cc:Mail clients, but Office users who use a Lotus Notes Mail or cc:Mail client are limited as follows:

They cannot use WordMail.

In a mixed e-mail environment, WordMail messages are delivered to Lotus Notes Mail or cc:Mail clients as plain text.
They cannot post documents to public folders.

This capability requires the Microsoft Exchange Server and client software, such as Outlook or Microsoft Exchange Client.

For information about installing support for Lotus Notes Mail and cc:Mail, see "Integrating Electronic Mail with Office" earlier in this chapter.

Interoperability with Lotus Notes/FX

The Office applications support Lotus Notes/FX versions 1.0 and 1.1 through extensions to OLE. Although Office users cannot post directly to a Lotus Notes database, they can embed documents created by Office applications, including Office Binder, in a Lotus Notes message. Users can open and modify the embedded documents. When you click the Update command (File menu) from within the document in the Office application, or when you close and save the Lotus Notes message, the changes are written to the Lotus Notes database.

Properties listed on the General, Summary, and Statistics tabs in the Properties dialog box (File menu) in the Office applications are recognized by Lotus Notes/FX. In addition, any custom properties that you create beginning with PROP_ are recognized by Lotus Notes/FX.

To create custom properties for Lotus Notes/FX

On the File menu in the Office application, click Properties, and then click the Custom tab.
In the Name box, type PROP_ followed by a name for the custom property.
In the Type box, select the property type.
In the Value box, type the text, date, or number, or select Yes or No for the property, depending on the property type you selected in Step 3.
Click Add.

Office includes text converters that allow a Lotus Notes user to import text from Excel or Word documents. These converters are not installed by default when you choose the Typical installation during Setup. To install the converters, choose the Custom installation or rerun Setup and click Add/Remove. Then select the Converters for use with Lotus Notes check box under the Converters option. The converters allow Lotus Notes versions 3.x and 4.x to import text from Microsoft Excel versions 2.x – 7 workbooks, and to import text from Word versions 6.0 – 97 documents.

Interoperability with Other Electronic Mail Systems

MSN, The Microsoft Network uses Outlook as its message editor. So when you enable WordMail, it replaces the standard MSN editor for reading and composing messages.

In Windows 95, any user with a modem has access to Internet e-mail using MSN. Similarly, because Windows 95 includes CompuServe mail capability for Microsoft Exchange Client, any user who has a CompuServe account can use a Microsoft Exchange client (such as Outlook or Microsoft Exchange Client) and WordMail to read and compose messages.

For information about MSN connectivity and retrieving e-mail on the Internet, see the Microsoft Windows 95 Resource Kit, published by Microsoft Press and available wherever computer books are sold. For more information about this and other Microsoft Press books, see "Microsoft Press Titles" in Appendix E, "Other Support Resources."