How to track contact activity items in Outlook 2003 and in Outlook 2003 (298749)



The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
  • Microsoft Outlook 2002

This article was previously published under Q298749

SUMMARY

This article describes how to use the Contact Activity Tracking feature.

MORE INFORMATION

Contact Activity Tracking provides you with a dynamic view of the relationship between contacts and activities.

Contact Activity Tracking allows you to create links that associate a contact with other items in Microsoft Outlook. To track tasks, appointments, messages, notes, or documents related to a contact, you can link any item or document to a contact. For example, when you create a new Outlook item, such as a task, you can link it to the contact to which it relates. You can also link items that already exist in folders to a contact.

You can relate the of the following journal entries with any contact:
  • E-mail messages
  • Telephone calls
  • Notes
  • Appointments
  • Tasks
  • Documents

How to View Items Related to a Contact

The Activities tab on the contact item allows you to view, group, sort, and filter the set of associated items for that contact. You can double-click an item in the list to open that item.
  1. Open the contact for which you want to view the related items.
  2. Click the Activities tab.
  3. In the Show box, click the type of item that you want to view, or click All Items.

How to Link a New Item to a Contact

  1. Create an item, such as a new task or message.
  2. In a message, click Options, and then click Contacts. In all other items, click Contacts.
  3. In the Look in box, click the folder that contains the contact to which you want to link.
  4. In the Items box, click the contact or contacts to which you want to link the item. To select adjacent items, click the first item, press the SHIFT key, and then click the last item. To select nonadjacent items, click the first item, press the CTRL key, and then click additional items. To select all items, click Select All on the Edit menu.
The Select All command is available only in a table, card, or icon view. To select items in a card, click the card heading for each item that you want. If the item is not visible, click a letter or number located on the right of the window. For example, to view a contact filed under the last name Myers, click the M button.

How to Link Existing Items to a Contact

  1. Open the contact to which you want to link the item.
  2. On the Actions menu, point to Link, and then click Items.
  3. In the Look in box, click to select the items to which you want to link.
NOTE: You can double-click the contacts name in the Contact field of the item to open a contact from any item that it is linked to. To do this in a message, click Options on the View menu, and then double-click the contact's name in the Contact field.

How to Link a Document to a Contact

  1. Open the contact to which you want to link a document.
  2. On the Actions menu, point to Link, and then click File.
  3. In the Choose A File dialog box, double-click the file that you want to link to the contact.
  4. Click Save, and then Close.

How to Create a New Activity View

  1. Right click the Contacts folder, click Properties, and then click the Activities tab.
  2. On the Activities tab, click the New button, and then type a name for the Filter.
  3. Click the plus symbol (+) to expand folders that contain the items that you want to include, click to select the folders in the search, and then click OK to accept the selection.
  4. Click OK to close the Properties dialog box.

How to Change the Default Activities View

  1. Right-click the Contacts folder, click Properties, and then click the Activities tab.
  2. On the Activities tab, change the Default activities view to the new default view.

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:4/28/2006
Keywords:kbhowto KB298749