Apple ’s Mail and Microsoft ’s Entourage 2004 are powerful e - mail client , but they ca n’t do everything you might need . Thankfully , both apps support AppleScript , so clever scripters can provide us with downloadable script that add features . Even well , you may set apart keyboard crosscut to these scripts for immediate execution .
Entourage
There ’s a thriving community of scripters for suite . If the script I ’ve listed here are n’t enough , curb outScriptBuildersandThe Entourage service Pagefor more . All Entourage AppleScripts should be installed in /your substance abuser folder / Documents / Microsoft User Data / Entourage Script Menu Items .
Categorize Duplicate ContactsDo you synchronise Entourage to a PDA ? Do you end up with duplicate contact ? This free Allen Watson script find dupes and assigns them to a raw Duplicate category ; you’re able to then settle what to do with that family ’s entries .
File Msgs in FolderIf you ’ve got lots of folders and subfolders , filing them by haul them to a booklet or clicking on the Move button can be a trouble . File Msgs in Folder , another free Allen Watson hand , permit you file messages by iron a keyboard shortcut and then type the first few letter of the desired leaflet ’s name .
Insert NotesThis costless handwriting from Barry Wainwright permit you place oft type text in Entourage Notes , which you could insert into vitamin E - mail messages .
Send Complex HTML with Inline FilesComplex HTML — table , CSS , or anything other than basic data formatting — is rarely necessary in e - chain armor . But when it is , Rob Buckley ’s free Send Complex HTML with Inline Files not only allow you send such content but also embeds double and other file cite by the HTML in the message .
Sync Entourage - Address Book , Sync Entourage - iCalEven if you ’re a big Entourage fan , you may require to expend it with iSync and other software that takes vantage of OS X ’s Address Book and iCal data . These handy script from Paul Berkowitz ( $ 19 each ) synchronize your Entourage Contacts and Calendar with OS X ’s personal information applications .
Mail does n’t have the same scripting enthusiasm behind it as Entourage does , but there are still some groovy scripts out there . mail service scripts belong in /your substance abuser folder / Library / Scripts / Mail Scripts .
build - in scriptsApple provide a pile of useful scripts with OS X ; they ’re useable from Mail ’s Script menu and documented at Apple ’s Web web site ( gratis ; already install ) .
Show Flagged Messages , Show Unread Messages , Show All MessagesEver wish you could viewjustunread content in Mail ? Or just flagged substance ? In Tiger ( OS X 10.4 ) , Mail will havesmart foldersthat let you do both . But you may get these characteristic in OS X 10.3 now for free , thanks to MacOSXHints.com : the Show flag Messages and Show Unread Messages handwriting do just what their names say ; Show All Messages restore the standard view.—Dan Frakes
[ Senior Writer Dan Frakes is the reviews editor program atPlaylistmag.comand the generator ofMac OS X Power Tools , second edition ( Sybex , 2004 ) . ]
Let Entourage manage your projects
While a lot of Mac users swear on Microsoft Entourage 2004 for e - mail and simple calendar direction , many brush aside its Project Center . That ’s too bad , because the Project Center is a powerful project - direction putz . Here are some of the way I employ it ( as with the advice in “ The Inbox Makeover , ” much of this advice was invigorate by David Allen ’s bookGetting thing Done ) .
Set Up Filters
Entourage 2004 ’s Project Center is where you collect appointments , tasks , eastward - mail service , notes , and other written document , grouped by undertaking , in one convenient location . The key to making it work is to expend Entourage ’s automatic filtering tools .
When you produce a new project , you could delineate filter that state Entourage to automatically link up specific e - mail message , touch , documents , and tasks with that project . Once you identify the fundamental attributes for each labor ( link data , likely Es - mail subjects , and so on ) , those tools will automate a batch of your task care , giving you more metre to sharpen on the real work at hand .
I care to create a young Entourage project early in a project ’s planning stages , because the Project Center ’s filtering can come in especially handy during a labor ’s ramping - up catamenia , when my undertaking assignments and e - mail message are typically in a bustle . It helps to be as fast-growing as possible about using consistent e - mail discipline for each project ( for case , begin the subject for all “ XYZ Corporation ” project e - ring armour with the letter
Create New Categories
You might recover Entourage ’s preloaded Categories ( Work , Personal , and so on ) utile , but I do n’t . I prefer using categories for the specific purpose of identifying where or how each of the tasks in my to - do list needs to be perform .
So I apply my own categories , such as Errand , Office , Home , Online , and so on . That way , I can apace identify all the task I ask to be doing at any given sentence . If I ’m in the bureau , I require to do the Office labor and can safely ignore the habitation ace . ( you’re able to allot more than one category to a afford job . )
Customize Views for Current Tasks
If you have more than a few detail in your Tasks tilt , you may find it unvoiced to locate all your gamey - precedence undertaking . you may repair that by using a ready to hand suite lookup trick that find matches by check what they arenot .
In my Tasks area , I created a custom prospect called Important Today ( by selecting File : New : Custom View ) . After selecting Match Unless Any Criteria Are , I chose these criteria : Due Date Is groovy Than 1 daylight From Now , Is thoroughgoing , Priority Is Low , and Priority Is Lowest ( See “ A new vista ” ) .
You could add other criterion — for illustration , to filter out out projects that are n’t related to employment ( Jamie ’s Soccer Team or Costa Rica Vacation)—but that ’s the oecumenical idea .
impost views like this are utilitarian through - out Entourage : the time you expend creating a dependable one will keep open you unnumberable hours of man - ual searching and make certain that nothing falls between the cracks .
Link to Text Files
A lot of folks ( including me ) like to keep data in simple bare - text files . ( For example , I keep a list of the questions and issues I desire to discourse with someone the next time we meet . ) These files are small , efficient , and highly portable , and you’re able to create and contribute to them from many different apps .
Entourage sustain this riding habit : it lets you quickly impound any kind of document to undertaking , appointment , and other Entourage object . So I can link my tilt of question to the appointment when I ’ll need to inquire them , for example .
Just pull out up the assignment , task , or striking you desire to tie your document to . Go to creature : Link To Existing : File , and then locate and choose the school text data file you require to relate to ( See “ Stay connected ” ) .
Now you ’re never more than a couple clicks away from your significant text - based information — and that data is always in the appropriate context.—Merlin D. Mann
[ free lance writer Merlin D. Mann also runs the43FoldersWeb website . ]
