Many users who need to send out a standard reply on a regular basis save a copy to Drafts then try to figure out ways to reuse the draft. While this is not the best method for reusing boiler plate messages, if you choose to do it this way, copy the draft (select it, Ctrl+C, S) then use the copy for the new message. Or select the message and click Forward to begin a new message based on the draft copy.
You could also use Autotext (Quick Parts in 2007/2010) to insert blocks of text. However, its just as easy to create a template and they work well for larger blocks of text.
Use Templates & Custom Forms
To use Templates: Create the message – in Outlook 2003 and older you need to use the Outlook editor or choose Actions, New message using Outlook in order to save as a template.
Save it using the File, Save as menu and select template file type (*.oft). This will default to the template location, usually a folder deep in your file system (in Vista, its C:\Users\user\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Templates\) . Change this to My Documents or other location that is easy to find and save.
Open Windows Explorer and locate the template then drag and drop it into a folder in Outlook. You can drop it in Drafts or create a Template folder. I like to use one called .Template – the dot puts it at the top of my folder list so I can find it quickly.
Another option is publishing forms to any folder in Outlook. When you do this, the form is listed on the Actions menu when you are in that folder. To use this method, look on Tools, Forms, Publish this form as and select a folder (in Outlook 2007, show the Developer tab to see Publish.) There are some issues with published forms and unless there is code used in the form (which requires publishing) or you use Exchange's organization forms library, a template is recommended.
AutoText & Quick Parts
Either Autotext or Quick Parts allows you to create a large text block to insert as needed. Insert it by selecting it from the menu, or type the first few letters of the text entry and press enter when it comes up in the screentip.
Windows Utilities
If you need this capability in other programs, there are Windows utilities that will work with most programs. These include:
Tools in the Spotlight
Quick Templates is designed for fast insertion of text templates into Microsoft Outlook mail messages. Use it to enter frequently repeated text fragments, reducing the time you spend on message writing as well as typos or misprints in your messages. With Quick Templates you can create a template list and insert the text from template into a message by a single mouse click or through a hotkey you can set for each template individually. | |
Map function keys and other key combinations to signatures and other frequently used text for insertion into Outlook items. Can also insert text in other programs as long as Outlook is running. Outlook 2000 or later. Enter code WD9BHK53 during checkout. |
Tools
Exchange/Outlook add-on to create custom replies, forwards, signatures -- inserting any type of boilerplate text into your message. Templates are stored in Outlook or Exchange folders and can contain scripting elements (in VBScript or ET's own script language) to build replies that use information from the incoming message. Various extensions can handle such tasks as mailing list subscriptions. For a rotating quote, download the Rotating Text template. Has some issues with Outlook 2002 -- make sure you get the latest update, disable RTF templates, and don't try to use ET as a custom action in Rules Wizard. |
More Information
Compose Tools for Microsoft Outlook
Publishing Custom forms (Slipstick)
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Last reviewed on Dec 8, 2011
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