How to create buttons in 2010 outlook to open templates

 

I am a Blackberry Administrator for a huge Company over 50k Blackberries, we are switching to Outlook 2010 next month so I installed it can anyone tell me how to add back my new email templates that I depend on so much.

 

I have 28 Templates standard Outlook 2003 OFT files, in outlook 2003 I created buttons to launch my templates to speed up the process, when I get a new ticket I would hit my new ticket button which would open a new e-mail pre-filled out with the standard company sanctioned first contact info cut then I would paste the users name and ticket number into the e-mail and hit sent total time maybe 10 seconds.

 

I can’t figure out how to get this functionality back into Outlook 2010 I spent the last two hours searching the web pages with no luck and sorry I am not an XML programmer so that function is out of the question. How could Microsoft remove such a vital option without giving us some way to have that same functionality?

 

All I want is to add 28 buttons that will open my templates it can’t be that hard.

May 4th, 2011 10:31pm

Hi,

Method 1.You can get it by adding the Quick Access to the Outlook:

1. Go to File -> Options -> Quick Access Toolbar

2. Click on the drop down list under Choose commands from:, switch it to All Commands

3. In the list below, find Choose Form, double click it to add it to the Quick Access Toolbar. Click OK quit to Outlook.

4. When you need to create the new e-mail with your templates, you can click on the Quick Access button on the top, and in the drop down list behind Look In select User Templates in File System, there you can select your own templates.

 

Method 2. Or you can add the macro buttons to the custom ribbon

1. Create your custom ribbon to allow you add your custom buttons:

    Go to File -> Options -> Custom Ribbon -> Click New Tab to add you own custom ribbon, you can rename it.

2. Click on the drop down list under Choose commands from:, switch it to Macros

3. In the list below, find your Macro buttons need to be add to your custom ribbon. Click OK to exit settings.

4. Then you will find your custom ribbon in the Outlook, and your buttons can be found there.

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May 6th, 2011 4:46am

Thank you for your input I had found those options in my searching but they are not a real soulation, in 2003 I physically had buttons fewer steps and I use these forms 100's of times a day

i.e. I had a button called new ticket which would open my new ticket template

currently I dragged a shortcut to the templates folder to my favorites and I am using that till I get a better way but in my job seconds count and as of right now I am strongly against rolling 2010 out to our department because of this loss of functionallity

Right now I open my templates shortcut folder and click on the template I want but I am guessing this is costing my 10 seconds

10 seconds times 100  times 2 people in my group makes a difference

 

May 6th, 2011 3:10pm

Hi Belezeebub,

I don't  think you really get what I mean, the macro button will allow you to open your custom form directly from the custom ribbon. It just need a single click.

Read the reference below will show you how to create the macro button to launch your custom form.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Open a Form from a Toolbar Button 

 

Step.1 To Create the VBA Code

To create the code to open the form, follow these steps:

 

  1. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and click Visual Basic Editor.
  2. In the Project - Project1 pane, double-click Project1, and double-click Microsoft Outlook Objects.
  3. Double-click ThisOutlookSession to open a code window.
  4. In the code window, enter the following code:
    Sub DisplayForm() Set myFolder = Session.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox) Set myItem = myFolder.Items.Add("IPM.Note.MyForm") myItem.Display End Sub

    This code assumes that the name of your form is MyForm. Be sure to modify the third line of code if your form's message class is different.

  5. On the File menu, click Save Project1.
  6. Close the Visual Basic Editor.

 

Step.2 To Create the Toolbar Button

  1. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and click Customize.
  2. On the Commands tab in the Categories list, click Macros. The macro will be listed as Project1.ThisOutlookSession.DisplayForm.
  3. Drag the macro name to a toolbar.
  4. With the toolbar button selected, click Modify Selection, to make any desired changes to the appearance of the button.
  5. Click Close.


For more detail: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa155699.aspx#odc_novoltips_button

Sincerely,
Ma

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May 11th, 2011 4:41am

http://home.comcast.net/~jlipchit/pwpimages/button2.JPG

here is one of my button bars from 2007 I am flat out HATING the hoops you have to jump through in 2010 to get even close to that.

I followed your directions and the ones on the link it is still 5 times as complex as creating it under 2003 and 2007 THUMBS DOWN the RIBBON SUCKS.

I am going to give it a few more days if I can't figure it out I am going to suggest to the CIO that Office 2010 NOT be used here.

it just has too many issues with our standard while the loss of about 500k copies of Office is a drop in the bucket to Microsoft the company I am working for is going to vote with our wallets

 

 

May 12th, 2011 5:55pm

Hi Belezeebub,

Would you please tell me what did you do in Outlook 2003/2007, and I'll check if I can repeat these steps in Outlook 2010.

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May 13th, 2011 6:17am

Right click on the tool bar

Select the toolbar tab click new

Right click on the new tool bar select customize find the action you want drag it into the toolbar thenj you can modify the newly created icon as to text only title, large icon small icon change icon I did the custom and said open link html and pointed toward the oft files.

 

 

 

 

Hi Belezeebub,

Would you please tell me what did you do in Outlook 2003/2007, and I'll check if I can repeat these steps in Outlook

May 13th, 2011 8:43pm

Hi Belezeebub,

I'm sorry that I have been stuck at the step 'find the action you want to drag it into the toolbar', would you tell me which action did you choose, or which command did you add?

Sincerely,
Ma

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May 16th, 2011 7:05am

Hi Belezeebub,

I'm sorry that I have been stuck at the step 'find the action you want to drag it into the toolbar', would you tell me which action did you choose, or which command did you add?

Sincerely,
Ma

June 7th, 2011 5:33pm

Sorry for my ignorant, where is the button options?

Could you please describe it step by step? With the screen shot is even better. Thanks!!

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June 10th, 2011 4:00am

 

I don't know if this thread is too old to revive, but my group is struggling with this same problem. We have 30+ agents that need to use a set of standardized template emails daily. in Outlook 2003 and 2007 we set up a toolbar of buttons for just this purpose. Each template has a button that you click and it opens a new email using the correct template, which includes standard CC addresses and the body of the message to be customized.

Each template is saved on a network drive as an OFT file, so they can be updated centrally as needed.

I'm not sure how they set it up because the guy that did is no longer here. But he created a toolbar on his machine and then distributed a copy of his "outcmd.dat" file from C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\ which we all just copied to our systems and boom, the toolbar is there.

===

 

UPDATE: I found instructions online for doing exactly what I need, and what I think the OP wants:

http://www.mysysadmintips.com/index.php/clients/54-ms-outlook-2010-create-email-template-and-assign-a-quick-launch-button

 

  • Edited by Philomorph Tuesday, June 21, 2011 3:39 PM Solution found
  • Proposed as answer by Philomorph Tuesday, June 21, 2011 3:41 PM
June 21st, 2011 3:23pm

Hi Philomorph,

Thanks for the kindly sharing.

But, may I ask a question, what's the difference between the link you provide with what I have posted?

In the following code window,

Sub DisplayForm() Set myFolder = Session.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox) Set myItem = myFolder.Items.Add("IPM.Note.MyForm") myItem.Display End Sub

Here you just need to change MyForm to MyTemlate, and that will do exactly the same as what you find in the:

Sub MyTemplate()
Set msg = Application.CreateItemFromTemplate("C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates\MyTemplate.oft")
msg.Display
End Sub

 

Sincerely,
Ma

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June 21st, 2011 4:53pm

Now that I understand the new paradigm, this is actually easier than the old way. All I need to do is put my templates in a shared directory or even bake them into a default profile and just duplicate the code and modify the name of the files that each sub points to.

I hate to admit it, but I like it.

July 24th, 2011 3:50am

Thank you very much Phil!!!..I think the link u posted it's the solution we're looking for...

 

My Best!!

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November 25th, 2011 7:06pm

It's actually easier without using Macros.  When adding a button to a new toolbar, just choose the 'GO' Category, and drag the 'Shortcuts' button to the toolbar.  Then right click on the shortcuts button, to assign a hyperlink to it, pointing it to the physical file for the template.  You can also right click and change the button picture and name at that point for each different template you want to open.

March 2nd, 2012 3:23am

Hi Max,

The instructions for creating the button appear to not be for Outlook 2010.  Am I missing something?  Is there another string you can point me to that is for Outlook 2010?

Thanks,

Chris

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August 24th, 2015 7:15pm

Hi Max,

The instructions for creating the button appear to not be for Outlook 2010.  Am I missing something?  Is there another string you can point me to that is for Outlook 2010?

Thanks,

Chris

Hi Chris,

All steps should still work for even Outlook 2013. Which step doesn't work for you?

August 24th, 2015 9:41pm

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