Learn all about Outlook Web Access 2007

Logging into Your Outlook Web Access Account

1. Go to the Outlook Web Access logon page at www.uab.edu/email. Typfe in your BlazerID and password.
   
   Note: You must have a BlazerID and password to access your UAB email account. If you do not have these, or if you have questions, please visit the Information Technology Department's Getting Help section.
   


2. If you are running Internet Explorer, you will automatically be connected using the Premium version, unless you choose to run the Light version (see the FAQ for more information about OWA Light and Premium). To choose the OWA Light version, click the check box out beside "Use Outlook Web Access Light." If you have a slower Internet connection, or if you're just doing a quick, simple task (checking your email, for example), then the OWA Light version is recommended. Otherwise, it is recommended to use OWA Premium if you will be doing more complicated tasks and/or need the additional features Premium provides.



3. Under Security, choose “this is a public or shared computer” if you're on a campus computer or if someone else may have easy access to the computer. Choose “this is a private computer” if you're the only person with access to the computer. If you have additional questions about the Client or Security sections before you log on, click the “show explanation” link.



4. Click Log On . 
   
    

Entourage Users:

You may have trouble getting to this logon screen. Follow the instructions below.

1. Open Entourage.
2. Go to the Entourage menu selections and click Account Settings.
3. You should see "This DAV required a secure connection (SSL)" at the bottom of the dialogue box; click this checkbox.
4. Restart Entourage; you should now be able to log into your UAB account.

Changing the Color Scheme

With Outlook Web Access 2007, you have a choice of color schemes to customize your account.

1. In the Navigation Pane of your account, click Options.
2. Under Appearance, choose a color (Olive Green, Burgundy, Silver, Dark Blue, or Default Blue).
3. Click Save and Close.

Changing the Reading Pane View

1. In the Toolbar, click the Show/Hide Reading Pane button.
2. Choose one of the three options: Right, Bottom or Off.
3. You may adjust the size of the pane by moving the lines between the panes.

Note : If you do not see this feature or its options, make sure you are in the Premium client. This feature is not available in OWA Light.

Selecting the Two-Line View Option

The Two-Line View option is a great feature of OWA 2007 because it allows you to view more information about an email (including its sender, title, date, importance, and attachments). This feature works well with the Reading Pane.

1. Click View, located above the list of emails in your account, next to the folder name.
2. The drop-down menu will display your current selection and other options. Click Two-Line View.
3. Note the other options you have here in the View list. Selecting ‘Messages' will give you an abbreviated, one-line description, ‘Unread Messages' will display only emails you haven't viewed, and the rest will order your messages according to the category you select.
   
   
4. There are additional options for the Reading Pane under Options (Navigation Pane>Options>Reading Pane Options).

Setting the Number of Messages/Contacts/Tasks You See on a Page

1. In the Navigation Pane, click Options.
2. Select Message Options, then Number of items to display per page. Select a number (5-100); the default number is 25.
   
   Note : If you are using a dial-up modem, select 25 items or less for best performance.
   
   
3. Click Save and Close.

Using Shortcut Menus for Messages and Folders

Outlook Web Access 2007 now provides users with shortcuts to frequently used commands. When you right-click on a message or folder in an OWA list, a menu of commands (Open, Delete, Move/Copy, etc.) appears. Then, all you have to do is choose a command from the list. An example of a shortcut menu for a message is below.

Using the Spelling Check

Outlook Web Access now includes a spelling check for messages. Its functions are similar to most other spelling check software. The Spelling button is located in the toolbar of the message's window .

OWA 2007 supports several languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Korean and Italian. You may set your spell check to a different language by navigating Navigation Pane>Options>Spelling Options>Select the language of the dictionary to use while checking spelling, selecting a language, and clicking Save and Close.

Under Options (not the Options button you see in the picture above, but the one located in the OWA Navigation Pane), you also have several other choices, including automatically checking your messages when you click Send. Click the Always check spelling before sending box.

Creating a Signature for Your Messages

You can create personal signatures to add to the messages you send. You can also choose to attach a particular signature to every message or create several different signatures and insert them into individual messages.

1. Click Options in the Navigation pane.
2. Under Message Options, choose Edit Signature. In the Signature window, create your signature.
3. Click Save and Close.
4. If you wish to include this signature in every outgoing email, select Automatically include my signature on outgoing messages under Message Options.
5. If you are in the process of creating a message and wish to insert a signature, click Insert Signature in the message's toolbar.

Changing a Message's Default Font

Outlook Web Access uses Arial 10pt in black as its default font for messages. However, you may change the default font if you wish.

1. In the Navigation pane, click Options.
2. Choose Message Options and click Choose Font.
3. Select the font, color, etc. and click OK.
4. Back on the Options window, click Save and Close.

Changing/Creating Out of Office Assistant

The Out of Office Assistant option can now be turned on and off using OWA Premium. When selected, you can use the default message or create a personal message for Auto Reply to all incoming emails. 

1. Click Options in the Navigation pane.
2. Under Out of Office Assistant, choose the option desired. In the text window, create your personal message or edit the default message for the dates desired.
3. Click Save and Close.

WebReady Document Viewer

OWA 2007 allows Microsoft Office attachments such as Word and Excel documents to be viewed and saved without having the Microsoft Office software installed on the computer.

If you want to simply view the document, Click Open as Web Page option to the right of the attachment within the header of the email. This will open a new window and display the contents of the document.

Clicking the document and choosing the Save option will allow you to save the document as normal

Creating/Editing Tasks

In the previous version of Outlook Web Access, tasks and calendar items were not supported, even though you could view them as read-only items. OWA 2007 now has many features for task creation and management.

1. In the Navigation pane, click Tasks.
2. Click New to create a new task, or right-click on an existing task and choose Open to edit.
3. Make your changes in the Tasks page.
4. Click Save and Close.