Custom Address Lists on your toolbar

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Other tips for Windows 2000.

If you send e-mail to the same people frequently, you can automate the process of creating and addressing the message. With Microsoft OutlookŪ 2000, you can add a custom toolbar button that lists the people to whom you send e-mail most often. Then, with one click, you can create a new message that's addressed to the person you want to send it to. And, if you regularly send e-mail with the same subject line, such as a weekly report, you can also create a message that has the subject line filled in.

There are two parts to creating a custom list of recipients. First, create the toolbar button. Then, add the e-mail addresses and subject lines to it.

Create a custom toolbar button

1. On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Commands tab.
2. In the Categories list, click New Menu.
3. In the Commands list, click New Menu and drag it to the toolbar. When the pointer looks like an I-beam, release the mouse button.
4. On the toolbar, right-click the New Menu button, and in the Name box on the shortcut menu, type a name for the new toolbar button.

Add e-mail addresses and subject lines

1. In the Customize dialog box, in the Categories list, click File.
2. In the Commands list, click Mail Message and drag it to the custom menu button that you added to the toolbar. When you rest the pointer over the custom button, a gray box appears. Drop the Mail Message command onto the gray box. If you are adding a subsequent command, no gray box will appear. Drop the command onto the most recent command you added.
   
   If you want to use a different icon, choose the command from the Commands list that has the icon you want. For example, if you add a distribution list, you can use the Distribution List command to get the distribution list icon.
   
3. On the toolbar, right-click the Mail Message command, and in the Name box on the shortcut menu, type a name for the person, distribution list, or alias you're assigning to the command.
4. Then, on the shortcut menu, point to Assign Hyperlink, and then click Open.
5. Under Link to, click E-mail Address.
6. In the E-mail address box, enter the e-mail address of the person, distribution list, or alias you want to assign to the command. If you want this automatically addressed message to also have a standard subject line, such as Status Report, type it in the Subject box.

Repeat these steps for each person, group, or standard subject line you want to add to the button.