Some new-to-Entourage Questions

[richnewman]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel
Email Client: imap

Hi,

I have recently moved from PC to Mac, and I am wanting to try Entourage instead of Apples mail and calendar programs, and I have some questions:

Is there no way to insert a link into email text? Do you always have to type out or copy in the URL?

Is there any way to set up a project template? I run a reading series and I have the same tasks to perform but for several different people each academic year. I'd like to track these tasks in a project, along with some other information. Is there a way I can set up a project template so that I don't have to completely retype/recreate the tasks each year? (I know I can probably save boilerplate text somewhere and just insert that into new tasks; my question is can I create the tasks and then save and reuse them.)

Can you not create hyperlinks in tasks?

Is there a way to export/import rule and/or categories?

Can I put my Entourage file on my iDisk so I can access it from both my desktop and my laptop?

Thanks,

Rich Newman

 

[Corentin Cras-Méneur]

Hi,

Hi Rich,

I have recently moved from PC to Mac, and I am wanting to try Entourage
instead of Apples mail and calendar programs, and I have some questions:

Is there no way to insert a link into email text? Do you always have to
type out or copy in the URL?

Well Entourage is not great with complex HTML. Entering the entire URL
is probably the easiest way to go. There are some scripts out there to
send full HTML e-mails, but it's a bit of a pain.

Is there any way to set up a project template? I run a reading series
and I have the same tasks to perform but for several different people
each academic year. I'd like to track these tasks in a project, along
with some other information. Is there a way I can set up a project
template so that I don't have to completely retype/recreate the tasks
each year? (I know I can probably save boilerplate text somewhere and
just insert that into new tasks; my question is can I create the tasks
and then save and reuse them.)

Take a look here:
http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq_topic/templates.html

Can you not create hyperlinks in tasks?

Hyperlinks to what?? A file ??
Not really :-\
You could create projects though. You can include e-mails, files, etc in
a project.

Is there a way to export/import rule and/or categories?

Not really.
You can use an AppleScript to write the categories to the notes of
either contacts or events, and another one to restore them on another
machine though:
http://www.cortig.net/wordpress/?p=113

Can I put my Entourage file on my iDisk so I can access it from both my
desktop and my laptop?

You *could*, but I would really really reallllllllly stay away from
this.
(you need to move it wherever you want and create an alias pointing back
in the original location).
It's going to be slooowowwwwww, buggy, and it'll consume every last bit
of your iDisk.

I would use the e-mail accounts in IMAP instead to make sure you have
all the same e-mails on both machines.

Corentin

 

[Diane Ross]

Is there no way to insert a link into email text? Do you always have to type
out or copy in the URL?

You can use the "Insert URL" scripts for easy insertion. I'm not even sure
Apple Mail does links as links as text.

Insert URLs into a message (The Entourage Help Blog)
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/2007/07/insert_urls_into_a_message.html>

In case the above link does not work:

<http://tinyurl.com/48aqna>

Also see this page for other links to articles on shortcuts for Entourage.

Can you not create hyperlinks in tasks?

Use the Link feature. Look for the chain-link icon. In Entourage Help,
search for "Create links between Entourage items."

Is there a way to export/import rule and/or categories?

Only from Entourage. You might be able do this with a third party shareware.
Export-Import.

Paul Berkowitz's Export-Import scripts maintain all of your links.

ScriptBuilders: Export-Import Entourage 1.3.10

Can I put my Entourage file on my iDisk so I can access it from both my
desktop and my laptop?

Stressing what Corentin said...don't do this. I suggest using IMAP rather
than POP and that will get what you want.

Cheers and Welcome to Mac! I have a few tips and links posted to help new
users here:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/new2mac/index.html>

 

[Richard Jeffrey Newman]

Diane & Corentin,

Thanks for your responses. I realize, though, that I did not make part of
what I wanted to know clear enough. I need/want to be able to access the
same Entourage file on both my laptop and my desktop, and I was hoping there
is a way to put the file in a central location and access it there from
whichever computer I happen to be working with--and when I am using my
laptop at a remote location, not my home, which is where the desktop is.
(It's not so much for email; I already use IMAP. It's more for projects and
to keep categories, rules, etc. consistent across the two machines.) If that
is not possible, then I would be happy--pain though it will be--to just copy
the file back and forth from machine to machine, when I need to do so. Is
there a way to do either or both of these things?

Again, my thanks!

Richard

 

[Diane Ross]

Thanks for your responses. I realize, though, that I did not make part of
what I wanted to know clear enough. I need/want to be able to access the
same Entourage file on both my laptop and my desktop, and I was hoping there
is a way to put the file in a central location and access it there from
whichever computer I happen to be working with--and when I am using my
laptop at a remote location, not my home, which is where the desktop is.
(It's not so much for email; I already use IMAP. It's more for projects and
to keep categories, rules, etc. consistent across the two machines.) If that
is not possible, then I would be happy--pain though it will be--to just copy
the file back and forth from machine to machine, when I need to do so. Is
there a way to do either or both of these things?

Use an external drive for Microsoft User Data folder with alias in Documents
folder.

One user explains how they use this method:

I keep my Microsoft User Data folder on an external pocket firewire drive (a
large capacity USB thumb-drive will suffice if both machines have USB 2.0)
and just keep aliases to it in my Documents folder of all the machines I use
Entourage on (laptop, desktop and occasionally other machines I sit down in
front of for a few hours). Works like a charm and gives me an identical
environment on every machine.

You must quit the Microsoft Database daemon in order to eject the drive.

If you choose to use this method, let us know how it works for you.

 

[Richard Jeffrey Newman]

Dianne,

You asked me to let you know how things went if I tried putting my Entourage
files on an external drive. In general, things seem to be working okay. Only
two unexpected snags:

1. For some reason the categories I had set up in Entourage on my
desktop--which is the database/identity I copied to the external drive--do
not show up on my laptop.
2. This means that the all of the categories I had assigned to my contacts,
emails, etc. have disappeared as well.
3. None of my projects show up on my laptop either, but I assume that is
because I did not copy the Office Projects folder onto the external drive.

Any suggestions? Thanks!

Richard

 

[Diane Ross]

When you copy an Identity, it should copy all the info. Did you copy the
entire folder or just the database? Are you sure you are in the correct
Identity with categories?

The projects would need to be copied over.

Here is an out of the box option. Use the laptop as your main computer. When
at home, attach to a bigger monitor for easier use. Having dual screens
would be great. You might do this only for Entourage and projects, but
everything would always be in one place.

 

[Richard Jeffrey Newman]

Ok, so this was strange. I copied the identity from my desktop to the
external drive and then created the alias. Then I connected the external
drive to my laptop and created the alias on my laptop. The first time I
opened Entourage on my laptop, Entourage did not open the identity pointed
to by the alias, but after I restarted the computer, it did. Then, when I
came home, I connected the external drive to my desktop--where I already had
an alias--but Entourage opened as if it had been newly installed. I got the
setup wizard. I tried deleting and recreating the alias; the same thing
happened. I did notice that, on my desktop, though not on my laptop, when I
open Entourage, it automatically creates an identity in my Documents folder.
I deleted that, but I still got the setup wizard when I opened the program.
The only way I have been able to get Entourage to open with all my data is
by copying the identity back from the external drive and onto my desktop's
hard drive. Any ideas?

I am almost beginning to think I will be better off going back to using
Apple's email and calendar programs.

Thanks,

Richard

PS Sorry if this turns out to be a duplicate message, but the first time I
tried to send it, I don't think it went through.

 

[Richard Jeffrey Newman]

Hi,

I sent the text below in a message that, for some reason, has come back to
me as undeliverable, so I am sending it again here. This is my response to
Diane's request to let you know how keeping my Entourage identity on an
external drive was working for me:

Ok, so this was strange. I copied the identity from my desktop to the
external drive and then created the alias. Then I connected the external
drive to my laptop and created the alias on my laptop. The first time I
opened Entourage on my laptop, Entourage did not open the identity pointed
to by the alias, but after I restarted the computer, it did. Then, when I
came home, I connected the external drive to my desktop--where I already had
an alias--but Entourage opened as if it had been newly installed. I got the
setup wizard. I tried deleting and recreating the alias; the same thing
happened. I did notice that, on my desktop, though not on my laptop, when I
open Entourage, it automatically creates an identity in my Documents folder.
I deleted that, but I still got the setup wizard when I opened the program.
The only way I have been able to get Entourage to open with all my data is
by copying the identity back from the external drive and onto my desktop's
hard drive. Any ideas?

Thanks for you all your help so far.

Cheers!

Rich Newman

 

[Diane Ross]

Copy the Microsoft User Data folder not just the Identity.

You might want to use a symlink instead.
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/glossary/index.html#symbolic>

Let me know if this works.

 

[Richard Jeffrey Newman]

Re: Problems using Entourage on two different Macs: I did copy the entire
User Data folder to the external drive, though I have not yet tried the
symlink. I will let you know what happens when I do.

Richard