Outlook Web Access 2003 How-To  

Logging into Your Outlook Web Access Account

1. Go to the Outlook Web Access login page at https://mail.ad.uab.edu . Type in your BlazerID and password.
   
   Note: You must have a BlazerID and password to access your UAB e-mail account. If you do not have these, or if you have questions, please visit the Information Technology Department's UAB e-mail website: www.uab.edu/it/email/index.html
   
2. If you are running Internet Explorer and meet the requirements for the Premium client (see the FAQ for more information about Basic and Premium), you will have an option between OWA Basic and Premium versions. Otherwise, the Client section of the login page will not be available.
   
   Under Client , choose Basic if you have a slower Internet connection or if you're just doing a quick, simple task (checking your e-mail, for example). Choose Premium if you will be doing more complicated tasks and/or need the additional features Premium provides.
   
3. Under Security , choose Public if you're on a campus computer or if someone else may have easy access to the computer. Choose Private 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 ' what's this?' link.
   
4. Click Log On .
   
   

Entourage Users:

You may have trouble getting to this login 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 2003, 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 Basic.

Selecting the Two-Line View Option

The Two-Line View option is a great feature of OWA 2003 because it allows you to view more information about an e-mail (including its sender, title, date, importance, and attachments). This feature works well with the Reading Pane.

1. Click View, located above the list of e-mails 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 e-mails 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 2003 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 Checker

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

OWA 2003 supports several languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Korean and Italian. You may set your spell checker 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 e-mail, 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 use 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.

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 2003 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.