Text Messaging Microsoft Outlook Integration

Text Messaging Outlook Integration is only available in True Connect Pro.

PC and device integration is now further enhanced by the integration of Text Messaging into Microsoft Outlook. No longer do you need your children to compose Text Messages for you as these can be read, composed and sent using Microsoft Outlook.

Text Messaging Outlook Integration within True Connect offers the following features:

A set of text message folders are created within Outlook that contain familiar sub-folders for you to manage your Text Messages, e.g. Inbox, Deleted Items, Sent Items, etc.
Once connected, text messages are automatically synchronized between your device and Microsoft Outlook
Text messages can be read, deleted or filed using Microsoft Outlook.
New messages can be created or existing ones replied to.
Text messages can be forwarded as emails
Text messages can be printed.

Text Messaging Outlook Integration bridges the gap between email and Text Messaging by using the same Microsoft Outlook client tool we are familiar with to manage both email and text messages.

If using Outlook against Exchange, Outlook must be set to operate in "Cached Exchange Mode". Failing to have this option set may result in some unpredictable results when using True Connect SMS.

- Run "Tools" menu "Email Accounts".
- Choose "View or change existing e-mail accounts".
- Select the account you are using and select "Change".
- Check the checkbox that reads "Use Cached Exchange Mode".

NOTE
Depending on the policy settings on the Exchange server, setting Cache Exchange Mode may not be possible within Outlook. Please contact your Administrator.

Once True Connect has been installed you will notice two changes within Microsoft Outlook. Firstly you will notice that within the folder tree control of Outlook there is a new set of folders created called True Connect.

These folders contain the text messages that have been synchronized from your device. For example the "Inbox" contains all the Text messages that have been received while the "Deleted Items" folder contains all the text messages that have been deleted.

Finally you will notice a new toolbar appearing within Microsoft Outlook

This toolbar provides the following functionality:

Option	Action
	Selecting New SMS will open a new window for a new text message to be created. For more details please refer to Sending a New Text Message.
	The Reply button allows you to compose a reply to the originator of a text message you have received. For more details please refer to Reply to SMS Text Message.
	The Forward button allows you to send a text message you have received onto another party. For more details please refer to Forward SMS Text Message.
	The Forward as email provides a bridge between text messaging and email by allowing you to take a text message you have received and forward it on as an email. For more details please refer to Forward SMS Text Message as Email.
	The About button performs a multi-function, firstly pressing this button will present version details about the True Connect Outlook plug-in. Secondly the symbol on the button provides a visual indication of whether the device is connected. The symbol signifies that the device is connected via ActiveSync and True Connect is active. The symbol signifies that True Connect has not managed to create a connection to the device, either because the device is not active, a partnership has not been established or True Connect is not running.

Sending a New Text Message

Sending a new text message could not be easier, simply pressing the button will present the following window for you to compose and send a new text message.

The single line entry field provides the ability to enter the number of the person you wish to send the text message to. However in addition to entering direct mobile numbers, a persons name can be entered and the button used to lookup that persons name in Contacts and return the name and number of the Contact. For example entering

following by might return

Alternatively the number of the person or persons you wish to send the text message to can be looked up using the or buttons. Pressing either of these buttons will build a list from Outlook Contacts in order to easily build the address line of the text message. On pressing the or buttons the following dialog will be displayed:

The left-hand list presents a list of Contacts who have mobile numbers. Simply choose the contact or contacts you wish to send the text message to, and then press the "Add" button. The list in the right-hand side of this dialog shows the contacts you have selected. To remove selected contact(s) from the right-hand list simply select them and press the "Remove" button. Press OK to accept your selection or Cancel to ignore the selection. Pressing OK or Cancel will return the user back to the text message dialog.

Once the address line has been completed use the message body field to enter your text message.

The information at the bottom of the message provides the following information.

Chrs:	The first part of the field details how many characters have been used in the text message. The second numerical value after the "/" provides the maximum number of characters that are permitted before the text message will be split into multiple messages.
Msgs:	The message field provides information on how many text messages will be sent given the length of the message. If a text message exceeds 160 characters then the message is split into multiple messages.

Once you have chosen your recipients and composed your message use the button to send the message. On sending the message the following actions will be performed:

True Connect will check the length of the Text Message and split the message into multiple text messages if the number of characters in the message exceeds 160 characters.
If True Connect is connected through ActiveSync then the text message (or messages) will be sent. Your mobile device will notify you the message has been sent and the message will be added to the True Connect Sent items folder.
If True Connect is not connected then the text message (or messages) will be posted to the True Connect Outbox folder. These messages will remain in this folder until True Connect is reconnected in which case all the messages in the Outbox folder will be sent and the messages will be posted into the True Connect Sent folder.

Reply to SMS Text Message
To Reply to a Text Message you have received select the Text Message you want to reply to using the True Connect folders and then press the button. "Reply" will open a Text Message dialog pre-populating the "To" field with the originators mobile number. You can then compose your own reply message in the body of the message. All the functionality that was available in creating a new Text Message is available in replying to a Text Message.

Forward SMS Text Message
To Forward a Text Message to another mobile simply select the Text Message you want to forward using the True Connect folders and then press the button. "Forward" will open a new Text Message dialog however the text of the message you wish to forward will be pre-populated in the message text field. If you wish you can modify the text message. All the functionality that was available in creating a new Text Message is available in forwarding a Text Message.

Forward SMS Text Message as Email
To Forward as Email simply select the Text Message you want to forward using the True Connect folders and then press the button. Forward as Email will open a new email message and pre-populate the email text with the Text Message you wish to forward.

Microsoft Outlook Options
A number of True Connect preferences can be set by using the Microsoft Outlook Tools menu and selecting the the Options item. With True Connect installed, an additional "True Connect" tab will be displayed within these options.

"Device Connection"
The "Unknown device connects as guest" checkbox determines how True Connect should behave if the device connected to the PC is not the primary connected device. By default the primary device is the first device connected. If checked and the device connected is not the primary device then True Connect will allow you to compose and send SMS Text Messages from Outlook, however no messages will be received into Outlook from the device nor will any synchronization from the device to Outlook take place.

Unchecking the "Unknown device connects as guest" option and connecting a device that is not the primary device will result in True Connect asking the user if they wish to treat the device connected as the primary device.

"Synchronization"
In exceptional circumstances you may have duplicate SMS Text Messages on your device and within Outlook that require synchronization. In this situation there is a requirement to specify which SMS Text Message should take synchronization precedence, the one on the Device or the one within Outlook. The dropdown with "Synchronization" allows you to specify which peripheral takes precedence.

"Outlook"
The "Warn when deleting True Connect folders" checkbox when checked provides a number of options if the user decides to delete the True Connect folder tree from within Outlook. On deleting the folder tree the following dialog will be presented to the user:

"Clear the messages on my device" will wipe all the SMS Text Messages from all SMS Text Message folders from the currently connected device.

"Duplicate messages from my device to Outlook" will result in the Outlook True Connect folders being re-instated and the SMS Text Messages from the device being synchronized to these folders within Outlook.

"Recover messages from Deleted Items" effectively aborts the deletion of the folders by re-instating these folders from the Deleted Items of Outlook.