Configuring User Interface Options in Outlook 2003

You can deploy a variety of user interface options in Microsoft® Office Outlook® 2003, including configuring whether default Search Folders are created, what kinds of messages are displayed by default in the notification area, and so on. You customize default settings for these options by doing one of the following:

  • Set options on the Change Office User Settings page in the Custom Installation Wizard.
  • Configure registry keys by using the Add/Remove Registry Entries page in the Custom Installation Wizard.
  • Configure settings in Outlook on a test computer, and then capture the settings by using the Office Profile Wizard.

For some settings, you can use more than one of these options. In addition, some configurations can be enforced (locked down) by using Group Policy.

This topic describes configuring options for:

  • Search Folders
  • "Group By" display for e-mail messages
  • Instant Messaging integration
  • Navigation Pane module display order
  • Notification area message display
  • Location of the Date Navigator in Calendar

Configuring additional Outlook user interface options is covered in other topics (see "Related links" at the end of this topic).

 Note    The Favorites menu is no longer available in Outlook, so the registry key to disable the menu has been removed and is no longer available in the Outlook policy template (Outlk11.adm).

Configuring Search Folder options

Outlook folders are where items are stored — such as new e-mail messages (Inbox folder), sent e-mail messages (Sent Items), or saved e-mail messages. Messages are not stored in Search Folders. Search Folders are virtual folders that contain views of all e-mail items matching specific search criteria.

Search Folders display the results of previously defined search queries of your Outlook folders. The e-mail messages remain stored in one or more Outlook folders. Each Search Folder is a saved search that is kept up to date, monitoring all Outlook folders for new items that match the criteria of the Search Folder.

When users create a Search Folder, they have a number of default Search Folder options to choose from, such as Mail with attachments or Mail from specific people. They can also create custom Search Folders.

You can configure how long Search Folders remain active for Cached Exchange Mode accounts and for online Exchange accounts. You can specify the number of days after which Search Folders become dormant — that is, items listed in the Search Folder are no longer up to date with current searches of Outlook folders. A dormant Search Folder appears in italics in a user's Navigation Pane. When a user opens a dormant Search Folder, the view is refreshed and the elapsed time count begins again.

The time period that you specify with this setting begins the last time that a user clicked the Search Folder. You can specify a different number of days for users in Exchange online mode and in Cached Exchange Mode. Separate counts are maintained for each Search Folder for each mode. The default value is 60 days. If you specify zero days, Search Folders in Exchange online mode are always dormant.

You can also limit the number of Search Folders allowed in each user mailbox, or you can disable the Search Folders user interface altogether.

You can set default values for these options in the Custom Installation Wizard, or you can lock down the settings with Group Policy. If you need help configuring these options on your own computer, see About Search Folders.

To configure default Search Folder options

  1. Using the Group Policy snap-in, load the Outlook 2003 template (Outlk11.adm).
  2. Under User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Office Outlook 2003\Search Folders, double-click a Search Folders configuration option such as Keep search folders offline.
  3. Click Enabled.
  4. Select the setting you want, and then click OK.

 Note    If users in your organization use Search Folders with Exchange online (using a mailbox on the Exchange server) rather than with Cached Exchange Mode, the number of users that can be supported by the Exchange server might be decreased.

Disabling the Group By feature for e-mail messages

By default, Outlook 2003 applies a grouping feature when displaying e-mail messages in folders. This feature is applied to custom views as well as default views.

The Group By feature can be problematic for upgrades, especially if a user has created a custom view on a folder. For example, a user might have specified a custom view to sort by date or by sender. When Outlook is upgraded to Outlook 2003, the Group By feature is applied regardless of existing views, and users have to re-create any custom views.

You can deploy Outlook without the Group By feature by using the Change Office User Settings page of the Custom Installation Wizard. This setting cannot be locked down by Group Policy. If you need help configuring these options on your own computer, see Group or ungroup items and Arrange your Inbox messages using predefined groups.

To configure Group By behavior

  1. In the Custom Installation Wizard, on the Change Office User Settings page, click the plus sign (+) next to Microsoft Office Outlook 2003.
  2. Click Miscellaneous, and then double-click Disable Show In Groups and new style arrangements on old views.
  3. Select Apply Changes, select the Check to disable Show In Groups and Applied Arrangements check box, and then click OK.

Configuring Instant Messaging integration

Instant Messaging is a feature of Microsoft Windows® Messenger, Microsoft MSN® Messenger, and the Microsoft Exchange Instant Messaging Service. With Instant Messaging, users can communicate with each other in real time.

When a user opens a message or views it in the Reading Pane, the person names smart tag is displayed beside the sender's name. This smart tag also appears in other places in Outlook, including in Contacts (when users rest the pointer on an e-mail address) and in new meeting requests (when users rest the pointer on an attendee's name). Users can right-click the smart tag to see a menu of information and options, such as a person's free/busy status.

You can deploy settings to disable Instant Messaging in Office or configure other options for Instant Messaging functionality. Or you can deploy preferences for these options by using the Change Office User Settings page in the Custom Installation Wizard. If you need help configuring these options on your own computer, see About Instant Messaging.

To configure Instant Messaging options

  1. In Group Policy, load the Office 2003 template (Office11.adm).
  2. To disable Instant Messaging, under User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Microsoft Office 2003\Instant Messaging Integration, double-click Display the Online Status item in the person names Smart Tag menu.
  3. Click Enabled.
  4. Select the Check to disable Online Status check box, and then click OK.
  5. To configure online status lookup for people who are not in users' Online Contacts lists, double-click Allow IM status queries for people not on the Messenger contact list.
  6. Click Enabled.
  7. In the Select drop-down list, choose a group of users for whom Instant Messenger status will be checked (for example, Query Messenger contact list only), and then click OK.
  8. To configure how often free/busy information is updated, double-click Set refresh time for Calendar information in the person names Smart Tag.
  9. Click Enabled.
  10. In the Set time in minutes (Default 15min) box, specify a number of minutes, and then click OK.
  11. To configure how much Microsoft Active Directory® directory service information is displayed for a person in the person names smart tag, configure other Instant Messaging policies such as Display the Manager item in the person names Smart Tag menu.

 Note    The Instant Messaging policies deployed with earlier versions of Outlook are removed. The two policies are:

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\IM\InstallURL
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Office\10.0\Outlook\IM\ForceDisableIM

Configuring Navigation Pane module display order

You can configure the modules in the Navigation Pane (such as Calendar, Mail, and so on) to appear in a specific order. Setting the display order is most easily accomplished by using the Office Profile Wizard to capture the desired arrangement; however, you can instead use registry keys to specify the order and other options that determine how modules are displayed.

Toolbox     The Office Profile Wizard is part of the Microsoft Office 2003 Editions Resource Kit toolset (ork.exe). You can find this downloadable file on the Office 2003 Resource Kit Downloads page.

The Navigation Pane options cannot be locked down by Group Policy. Users can change the display order by clicking Options on the Tools menu, and then, on the Other tab, clicking Navigation Pane Options. Users can find more information about configuring the Navigation Pane at Change the Navigation Pane appearance.

The following table lists the registry settings that you can configure for your custom installation. You add these value entries in the following subkey:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Preferences

Value name

Value data

(Data type)

 Default value Description
NumBigModules REG_SZ 3 Controls how many large buttons (each representing a Navigation Pane module) appear on the Navigation Pane. The maximum number that you can specify to be displayed is 8.
ModuleOrder REG_SZ 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

Determines the order in which the modules are displayed on the Navigation Pane. The data is an ordered list of indexes, where each position represents a Navigation Pane module, and the number in that position determines where the matching module appears.

The index positions match this list: Mail, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks, Notes, Folder List, Shortcuts, Journal.

For example, if the user switches Mail to be the third module showing, and Contacts to be the first, the registry value has this data: 3,2,1,4,5,6,7,8
ModuleVisible REG_SZ 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0

Determines whether a module is visible on the Navigation Pane. (This does not affect the order of items listed in the Go menu.) The values match the positions used in the module ordering list. For example, the first position determines whether Mail is shown.

By default, the Journal is not shown in the Navigation Pane. You can choose to not display other modules as well. For example, to not display Contacts, Tasks, Notes, and Shortcuts, set this data: 1,1,0,0,0,1,0,0

Configuring Outlook messages in the notification area

As users work in Outlook, messages appear in the notification area with information about network and Exchange server availability. You can configure how and when these messages are displayed in the notification area by default.

The types of warnings are:

  • Network warnings

For example: Network problems are preventing connection to the Microsoft Exchange Server servername.

  • Exchange Server warnings

For example: Outlook is trying to retrieve data from the Microsoft Exchange Server computer.

  • Synchronization messages

For example: Outlook is preparing a local copy of your Exchange mailbox. This one-time process may take several minutes to complete. Some of your data might not be shown until the process is complete.

You can deploy default settings for these options by using the Change Office User Settings page of the Custom Installation Wizard. These settings cannot be locked down by Group Policy. If you need help configuring these options on your own computer, see Hide messages in taskbar notification balloon tips.

To configure Outlook notification area message behavior

  1. In the Custom Installation Wizard, on the Change Office User Settings page, click the plus sign (+) next to Microsoft Office Outlook 2003.
  2. Click Outlook System Tray Icon.
  3. Double-click an option (such as Show Network Warnings), and then click Apply Changes.
  4. Select the check box for the option displayed (such as the Check to Show Network Warnings check box), and then click OK.

Removing the Date Navigator from the Navigation Pane

You can deploy Outlook 2003 to users with the Date Navigator displayed as it is shown in earlier versions of Outlook. By default in Calendar in Outlook 2003, the Date Navigator and TaskPad pane is turned off and the Date Navigator is in the Navigation Pane. Users can restore the Date Navigator to its original location by clicking TaskPad on the View menu or by dragging the splitter line in Calendar to the left or right.

You can set a default value for the Date Navigator location in the Custom Installation Wizard; however, you cannot lock down the option by using Group Policy.

To configure the Date Navigator in Outlook Calendar to be displayed in its original location

  1. In the Custom Installation Wizard, on the Change Office User Settings page, click the plus sign (+) next to Microsoft Office Outlook 2003.
  2. Click Miscellaneous.
  3. In the Settings list, double-click Date Picker/Calendar behavior.
  4. Select Apply Changes.
  5. Select the Check to display Date Picker like legacy Outlook check box.
  6. Click OK.

Related links

Information Rights Management (IRM), a new feature in Microsoft Office 2003, can help prevent sensitive information from being distributed to or read by people who do not have permission to access the content. To learn more about deploying IRM in your organization, see Configuring Information Rights Management for Messaging in Outlook 2003.

Outlook 2003 provides two new features that can help users avoid receiving and reading junk e-mail messages — the new Junk E-mail Filter and the disabling of automatic content download from external servers. To learn more about configuring these features for your users, see Helping Users Avoid Junk E-mail Messages in Outlook 2003.

A Meeting Workspace is a new feature in Outlook 2003 that includes a Web site for centralizing all the information and materials for an upcoming meeting. To learn more about deploying customizations for Meeting Workspaces, see Configuring Meeting Workspace Options in Outlook 2003.