ClearContext Corporate Blog

The v5.1 release has introduced many new time-saving enhancements to the product.  We’re posting the updated User Guide over the next few weeks.

The ClearContext Task button allows you to quickly add an email to your task list. Clicking Task will open a new Outlook task with the subject of the email and contents pasted into it and the original message attached. Set a due date and save to enter into your task list.

Once the task is created from a message, it is associated with the email conversation and will appear in the original conversation’s MessageContext.

Project Assignment

The Project field in a task is pre-populated with the original email’s project.  If one has not been assigned previously, ClearContext will query for a Project assignment when creating a task.  This allows you to view this information by Project in the ClearContext Dashboard.  Turn this feature on/off via Project Assignment on New Tasks at ClearContext > Options > Tasks/Appts.

File Original

When creating a task from an email, ClearContext can automatically file the original message, moving it out of the Inbox and saving the need to deal with it again.  Enable File Original on the task toolbar and ClearContext will move the message you are creating the task from into the Project folder you select.  ClearContext remembers this option the next time you create an appointment.

Task Options

By default, ClearContext truncates the text of long emails and attaches a copy of the message when copying creating an appointment or task. Turn these features on/off via the miscellaneous ClearContext Preference tab – ClearContext > Options > > Tasks/Appts.

Creating Custom Task Views that Include the Project Name

The Dashboard is the quickest way to view all To Do items, including Tasks and Appointments, by Project name. If desired, the Project name can be added to custom task views so that tasks within the native Outlook task pane can be sorted by Project as well. To add Project name to a Task view:

1. Go to the task pane and click on the view that you want to alter.
2. Right click the header on the tasks list (i.e. where it says Subject, Due Date, etc.) and select "Field Chooser."
3. Select "Forms…" in the drop down where it says "Frequently Used Fields:"
4. In the "Select Enterprise forms for this folder" dialog select Personal Forms (if it is not already selected).
5. If Show Categories is checked, uncheck it.
6. Highlight ClearContext and press Add…
7. Close the current dialog.
8. In the Field chooser, add CC-TopicName by clicking it and dragging it to the headers you initially right clicked.
9. Exit out of the field chooser.
10. If desired, change the name of the header on this field by right clicking “CC-TopicName”, selecting Format Columns, and changing the Label.
11. Repeat for each view that you want to alter.

Custom Forms Support

If you would like to use a custom Outlook form for task generation when pressing the Task button, specify that form viaClearContext > Options > Tasks/Appts.  Under Create Tasks and Appointments with Custom Forms, add the message class you wish to use.  For example, IPM.Task.MyTaskForm.

Creating a Single Task from Multiple Emails

If you have several emails that you want to convert to a single task, select one of the messages and click the Task button. Before you save the task, drag the additional messages you want to associate with the task from the Inbox onto the task. They will be automatically attached to the item.

The v5.1 release has introduced many new time-saving enhancements to the product.  We’re posting the updated User Guide over the next few weeks.

MessageContext provides a complete picture of the current item you are viewing. Open MessageContext to view all messages in the current email conversation.  See all tasks and appointments generated from that conversation thread by pressing the Tasks and Appointments link in the bottom right hand corner.  In Outlook 2007 and 2010, MessageContext is integrated in all messages, tasks, and appointments; expand it by pressing + at the bottom of the item.  In Outlook 2003, open MessageContext by clicking the MessageContext button on the ClearContext toolbar.

Click the Actions tab in the standalone MessageContext window or the Tasks and Appts link in the 2007 integrated MessagContext to see all To Do’s for this conversation.

Print MessageContext data from the open MessageContext window.  If you change an item while this window is open, click refresh to update its status. Double-clicking an item in any MessageContext list will open it if it is available.

Outlook 2007/2010 users can enable/disable the integrated MessageContext via ClearContext > Options > UI\Toolbar.

Check MessageContext Before Replying

This happens all the time – you’re in the middle of composing a response to an involved message thread and you want to remember a key point you made in your last email in the conversation. From the reply, open MessageContext, view the entire conversation, and find your previous comments.

The v5.1 release has introduced many new time-saving enhancements to the product.  We’re posting the updated User Guide over the next few weeks.

When a new email is received, ClearContext automatically prioritizes message conversations from VIPs and known senders.  Adjust message scoring on a case by case basis via Mark Conversation Important.

Change ClearContext’s automatic scoring for individual message conversations via the ClearContext open message toolbars or the ClearContext Inbox menu item (ClearContext > Message Actions > Mark Conversation Important).  This marks the message important using the message prioritization options set for VIPs in ClearContext > Options > Configuration.  It also marks all current and future email within that message conversation as important.

By default, the Inbox toolbar does not include Mark Conversation Important button.  You can add it to the toolbar via toolbar customization.

Message Prioritization

Mark Conversation Important is a quick way to elevate importance of messages from unknown senders.  To ensure that future messages from these senders are also marked as important, use Contact Prioritization.

The v5.1 release has introduced many new time-saving enhancements to the product.  We’re posting the updated User Guide over the next few weeks.

In the contact analysis process performed during setup, ClearContext’s prioritization algorithm automatically identifies those contacts that you email the most and marks them as important. ClearContext uses this contact priority to highlight emails in the Inbox from your most valued contacts. You can manually mark a contact important within the contact record.

CC VIP

During initial setup, ClearContext analyzes email history to determine email addresses from which you send and receive the most email. Using this information, your VIP contacts are marked as important.  By default, email received from these contacts are marked with category CC VIP and color-coded red.  To manually mark a contact as a VIP, open the sender’s contact record and enable Mark Important.

CC OK

All messages from known senders are marked with category CC OK and color-coded green.  These include messages from contacts that are in your address book – but not marked important – and messages from contacts that are not in your address book but are replying to conversations that you have already participated in.

Views

In Outlook 2007 and later, ClearContext color codes messages using Inbox category colors.  In Outlook 2003, ClearContext changes the font color to indicate priority.  To see font color coding in other versions of Outlook, select a ClearContext view from the Outlook view menu (View > Current View).  There are three views installed during setup:

• ClearContext By Date – messages ordered by received date
• ClearContext Threaded – messages grouped by conversation and ordered by date
• ClearContext Prioritized by Category – messages grouped by category

If you change options below, the views above may no longer color code by priority.

Tutorial

See our brief message prioritization tutorial for a demonstration of these features.

Prioritization Options

Adjust prioritization options via ClearContext > Options > Configuration:

• CC’d to me – enable this option to prioritize messages that you are copied on.
• Category – change category name, color (2007 and greater) and enable/disable.
• Importance Icon – append the Outlook importance icon to messages according to priority.  Note that this priority may also be communicated in message forwards and replies.
• Flag – add a flag or check for each priority.  In 2007 and greater, flagged messages will appear in the To Do List.

The v5.1 release has introduced many new time-saving enhancements to the product.  We’re posting the updatedUser Guide over the next few weeks.

With Followup Msg, quickly and easily create automated reminders of important email responses that you are expecting.

As you send email, Followup Msg will create a task to remind you if you have not received a response in a designated amount of time. As you compose a message, click the Followup Msg button and select the time period for your reminder. Choose from the following completion options:

• Cancel the reminder task when you receive a new message in the conversation, regardless of sender
• Cancel the reminder task when you receive a new message in the conversation from a specific sender
• Never cancel the reminder task, regardless of whether you receive further correspondence in the conversation or not

When you send the message, a task with the message subject and the prefix "Followup:" will be created in your tasks list. It will remind you of the follow-up at the time you chose. Enable/Disable the task reminder from the options screen.

To assign a specific status or category to the followup task, assign Followup Initial Status as you create the follow up.

You can also create a Follow-Up task for any message conversation at any time by highlighting the message within Outlook and selecting ClearContext > FollowUp Message from the ClearContext menu.

Quick Options

When creating a follow-up from a composed message, click the top half of the button to open the options dialog.  Alternatively, click the arrow to quickly create a follow-up using one of the options provided (1 day, 2 days, etc.).  Once a follow-up has been created for the current message, the button will remain highlighted.

Multiple Addresses

Specify multiple addresses in the "Once I receive a response to this message conversation from a specific email address" field by separating them with a semi-colon. If you receive a response from any of the addresses in that field, the task will be automatically marked as complete

The v5.1 release has introduced many new time-saving enhancements to the product.  We’re posting the updatedUser Guide over the next few weeks.

Much like you can snooze tasks and appointments in Outlook, Defer allows you to snooze a message for a given duration. When you click Defer, ClearContext moves the message into a special, dated deferred folder and automatically pulls it back into the Inbox, unread, at the time of your choosing.

Highlight a message you want to postpone and click the Defer button. You can choose to defer for a number of minutes/ hours/ days/ weeks/ months or choose a specific date and time. ClearContext will move the message into a dated ClearContext Deferred folder (a sub-folder of the Inbox). At the chosen time, the message will re-appear unread in the Inbox. Alternatively, click on one of the ClearContext Deferred dated folders to view upcoming messages. You can defer a message as many times as you want.

Quick Defer Options (Outlook 2007 Only)

In the ClearContext Outlook 2007 ribbon, quick defer options are provided to bypass opening of the Defer Options dialog. Select the arrow in the Defer combo box to quickly defer a message for 1 hour, 1 day, 2 days, etc..

Defer Tips

The Defer reminder time defaults to the task reminder time you have set in native Outlook (usually 8 AM). To change, go to Tools > Options > Task Optionsand change the reminder time in the Tasks subsection.

Tutorial: For more detail on this and other concepts, watch our Getting Started Tutorial.

The v5.1 release has introduced many new time-saving enhancements to the product.  We’re posting the updatedUser Guide over the next few weeks.

Unsubscribe from Thread allows you to remove all current and future messages in a conversation out of the Inbox so that they don’t clutter your Inbox.

When copied on a long email thread that you have no interest in (i.e. joke threads, happy hour planning, etc.), highlight a message from the thread, click Unsubscribe, and all Inbox messages from that conversation will be automatically moved to the ClearContext Unsubscribed folder (a sub-folder of Inbox). All future messages that you receive from the same conversation will automatically be moved to this folder as well. To re-subscribe to the thread, go to the ClearContext Unsubscribed folder, highlight a message from the thread, click Unsubscribe, and future messages you receive will stay in the Inbox.

Unsubscribe to Project Folders

If a Project is assigned to the current thread, ClearContext can send unsubscribed messages to Project folders rather than the ClearContext Unsubscribed folder. To turn this option on, go to ClearContext > Options > Project Options and check "File unsubscribed messages with a Project to the Project Folder."

Tutorial: For more detail on this and other concepts, watch our Getting Started Tutorial.

The v5.1 release has introduced many new time-saving enhancements to the product.  We’re posting the updated User Guide over the next few weeks.

ClearContext automates the filing process, making it easier to identify and store messages by remembering where you previously filed email.

1. File Msg files email to the listed folder

indicates that you previously filed messages in this conversation. indicates that this is a suggested folder. Shortcut Key: Alt-M

2. Press to see other filing choices

opens other choices in the Project selector.  Select a recently used folder or start typing to filter the full folder list.  Hide or add additional suggestions using the links in the selector.  Shortcut Key: CTRL-ALT-M

3. Thread files the entire conversation

File all messages from this conversation thread into the folder listed on the File Msg button.  Press to see other choices.

4. Undo the last message filed

If you accidentally filed a message, Undo will return it to the current folder

* File Original or Delete Original as you reply

Enable File under Original Message when replying. The message you are replying to will be automatically filed to the Project folder you assign.  ClearContext remembers this setting.

Delete works the same way, deleting the message you are replying to.  This setting is not remembered.  Enable ClearContext to delete all unassigned, non-Project messages as you reply via ClearContext > Options > Misc.

* File This Email files the message you are sending

Enable File This Email when sending email. The message you are sending will be automatically filed to the Project folder assigned.  ClearContext remembers this setting.

* File Project files all messages in the current Project

Highlight a message with a Project assigned to it and select File Project from the ClearContext menu.  All messages in the current folder with this Project assigned to it will be filed.  This button can be added to the toolbar.

* Jump To Folder opens a project folder

Select Jump to Folder from the ClearContext menu to quickly open a folder.  This button can be added to the toolbar.

Options

5. Expand the Project selector

Press the right arrow to expand the selector and see suggestions in two columns.

6. Change the number of suggestions

Click the links to show more or less suggestions

7. Add/remove available mail files

Click Mail Files to add or remove available data stores.  Go to ClearContext > Options > Configuration to add Public Folders and SharePoint Lists.  Designate a Personal Folders file as your primary here as well.  If all of your folders reside under a single folder (i.e. sub-folders of the Inbox) designate the Root folder for Filing and Projects here (i.e. /Inbox).

* One-click filing

When you disable one-click filing via ClearContext > Options > UI/Toolbar, ClearContext only shows a project in the File Msg button when previous messages in that conversation have been filed.

* Assign Project

To assign a project without filing, select Assign Project from the ClearContext menu.  Add this button to the toolbar via ClearContext > Options > UI/Toolbar.  You can also remove a project assignment with this button.

* Sent Message Filing

Enable Save messages to Project Folder at ClearContext > Options > Project Options to automatically move sent messages to project folders as you send.  You can also enable this feature by selecting File This Message as you send email.

* When messages are moved to a Project

By default, ClearContext monitors projects folders and assigns that project to email conversations when messages appear there.  Configure this behavior at ClearContext > Options > Projects Options.

* Category Synchronization

By default, ClearContext writes the Project name to the message Category field with Brackets around it.  Turn this on/off and change options in Project Options.

* Single Folder Filing

To file all messages to a single folder instead of individual project folders, select File all messages to root folder in Project Options.  When you press any Filing button, ClearContext will assign the Project Category to the message and move it to the folder you specify.

Tutorial

See our filing tutorial for additional info.

Filing Tips

Multi-level Projects: To create multi-level projects, enter the Project names separated by a “/”. For example, “Work/Admin” would store the message in the “Admin” subfolder underneath the “Work” main folder.

New Messages: Assign a project to a new message via the Project button on the open message prior to sending. All email responses to that message will automatically include the project name. In addition, if you are utilizing the Save Sent Messages option, this new message will automatically be filed in the appropriate Project folder.

Category Delimiters: Change the Prefix and Suffix appended to Project names when duplicated in the category field via ClearContext > Options > Project Options. Leave these fields blank to remove the delimiters.

The v5.1 release has introduced many new time-saving enhancements to the product.  We’re posting the updated User Guide over the next few weeks.

Following installation you will note that ClearContext has has added toolbars and a sidebar within Outlook. These features allow you to quickly & effectively manage email.  For a quick introduction, we recommend stepping through our getting started page.

The ClearContext Inbox

Immediately following setup, ClearContext is automatically prioritizing email from VIPs in red and Known Senders in green. Automated features include:

• Inbox prioritization – ClearContext uses contact and email message information to prioritize emails.  See Contact Prioritization for more detail.
• One-click filing – ClearContext suggests folders for filing based on email history.  Press the file button to accept the suggestion or the arrow next to it to see more suggestions.
• Convert email to action  – Create a task or appointment from an email with a single click.  Assign projects to them and view your work by project in the Dashboard.

In addition, you will find that ClearContext has installed toolbars in the Inbox and open item windows to provide greater control over email processing. This user guide will help you take advantage of these features. For additional information on ways to use ClearContext, see our video tutorials.

Usage Tips

Modify Contact Priority: ClearContext highlights known senders in green and VIP senders in red. Open a contact record and press Mark Important – all future email from this contact will be marked as a VIP.

File to Projects: Projects are the cornerstone of the ClearContext organization system.  When you file a message, you are assigning a Project to that email conversation.  All future messages in this thread, along with any tasks or appointments generated from it, will be tagged with this Project.  This will allow you to use the ClearContext Dashboard to view all of your notes, tasks and appointments related to a given Project.

Download a PDF of this User Guide here.

I spend a significant portion of my time communicating via email with people I have never met.  Since installing the Outlook Social Connector, I’m finding out more about them than they might expect.

The Outlook Social Connector shows Facebook information in the people pane at the bottom of every email.  Depending on the individual’s Facebook privacy settings, this can include a profile picture and status updates; regardless of whether you are friends with the individual or not.  Let’s just say I’ve seen some interesting profile pictures at the bottom of some business email.

Of course, this information has always been available via search, but now it’s integrated right in the bottom of every email I receive.  So, you might want to check your privacy settings on Facebook and maybe consider cleaning up up your profile picture while you’re there.

Screenshot Credit: Outlook Social Connector Team