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Creating Templates in Office 2003

Overview

In Outlook 2003, you can create an email message, and save it as a template so that you can use it over and over again.

Prior to creating the template, you must disable the option that uses Word as your email editor. To do this, select Tools, Options, and select the Mail Format tab. De-select “Use Microsoft Word to edit email messages”, then click Apply, OK.

Creating the Template

From the Outlook menu, select File, New, Mail message. Complete the Subject portion of the message and type any desired text in the body of the message. If you will be sending the email to the same individuals on a regular basis, you might also want to complete the “To” portion of the email.

From the email message menu, select File, Save As

In the Save As dialog box, select “Outlook Template” in the “Save As File Type” box. Name the template anything you wish and select Save.

Note! If “Outlook Template” is not an option, it is because you did not de-select the option to use Word as your email editor.

Close the template. Respond Yes if you are asked to save changes.

Because you turned off the option to use Word as your email editor in order to create the template, you should now turn it back on. From the Outlook menu, select Tools, Options, and on the Mail Format tab, select “Use Microsoft Office Word to edit email messages”. Click Apply, and then click OK.

Using the Template

From the Outlook Inbox menu, select Tools, Forms.

Select Choose Form.

From the “Look In” drop down box, select “User Templates in File System”

Select the template, and click Open.

Add or revise text in the email as needed.

Send the email.

Assigning the Template to a Toolbar Button

If you want, you can assign the template to a button on your Outlook toolbar. To do so:

Select Tools, Customize from the Outlook Inbox menu.

Select the Commands Tab.

Select any button in the Commands section of the dialog box, and drag and drop it on your

Outlook toolbar. When you release the mouse button, right click on the toolbar button you have added.

Select Change Button Image from the drop down menu and select a new image for the button.

Right click on the button and select “Assign Hyperlink” from the drop down menu that displays. Click Open. Browse to the email template.

Note! In most cases, the template will be located in

C:\Documents and Settings\your username\Application Data\Microsoft\Template

Double click on each folder above until you see the Template folder.

Select the template, click OK and close all dialog boxes.

From now on, to access your template, click the appropriate toolbar button.