Bite my bytes

At one point of time/version "outlook /c ipm.note" actually did open new email, but new email was not using your standard stationary nor default signature. Additional challenge was and still is that you must set whole path for outlook.exe (at least I had to do it), so upgrading major version of Outlook requires to update your shortcut.

In that time I made even simpler "New mail" shortcut, which solves the problem above and in addition works not only with outlook, but with any default mailing application.

Trick is you have to create new "Web page shortcut". The best is to copy one file from the Favorites folder. Then you just set the URL property to "mailto:" (on tab "Web Document").

Of course you can also apply any Shortcut Key (Ctrl+Alt+...), but you must ensure that the shortcut file is somewhere within "Start Menu\Programs" folders in order to work. I have applied Ctrl+Alt+Y, because this combination is not used in any other program I am using and because I can press it with one hand - left. (Remember that Y just above WinKey on SI keyboard - switched with Z compared to US keyboard).

Sometimes you can press AltGr instead of Ctrl+Alt, so also Ctrl+Alt+M (AltGr+M) would be a nice shortcut. But AltGr+… is dependant on language/keyboard selection and may not work always. But this is another story.

Nice addition to my post, tnx!

While we are speaking about shortcuts & outlook…

I am sure that a lot of you are sending a single file by right-clicking it and using "Send To/Mail Recipient”? The email would open, but it is plain text – no stationary, no signature, just ugly and annoying…

Well you have guessed that the solution is just another shortcut in the “SendTo” folder.
Target: "<path>\OUTLOOK.EXE" /a %1 /recycle”.
Name (suggestion only): “Email This File”.
This will function just the same, but it will use your stationery and signature. Much more professional.

Now I have 2 challenges:
- make it work to send more then one file (e.g. selection of files)
- make it work with keyboard shortcut.

For some strange reason, the Send To shortcut with Target: "<path>\OUTLOOK.EXE" /a %1 /recycle” has stopped working.

I get an error message: "The command line argument is not valid. Verify the switch you are using."

I have a feeling that it stopped working after applying some "mandatory" updates from MS Update. I tried adding/removing quatitions, etc. without success. Although if I state the exact filename it works. So as if %1 is not properly converted?!? So maybe it is more Windows (XP) problem then solely Outlook?

I wonder how can I test %1 in the other way?!?

HM - just got and idea: .bat file.

I just checked and it works!!!
I have created EmailThis.bat file in Send To folder and used Target as command in bat: "<path>\OUTLOOK.EXE" /a %1 /recycle”
It's not perfect, because it shortly shows cmd window, but at least it works again. I was fighting with this problem several weeks now.
If anyone knows how to suppress cmd window, it would be close to perfect again.

(Note: If you were not reading all comments from start: This is the way I want to send attachments in order to use my standard stationary & signature in email and not plain text when using standard windows "Mail Recipient")

Links of the week #9 (week 44/2007)

Atlassian Jira tips and tricks

Ohh what a wonderful world

Thanks for the winkey link.
Timely and so useful.
Jerome.