With the Template Phrases for Outlook add-in your correspondence becomes more effective.
You can save the most frequently used templates and instantly insert them into your email messages.
Replying to similar emails on a daily basis you are sure to have the text you can copy and paste to yet another typical email. Instead of this copy-paste routine, you can select the needed text fragment in the message body and save it in the list of your templates in a click.
You can either create a new template using an existing email or add one from scratch.
In this part, you'll see how to change a template if necessary.
Also, you can right-click on the template and select the Edit option:
Macros will help you in executing routine operations in Outlook. For example, they allow creating templates with attachments, so that each time you insert a certain template in an Outlook message you don't have to add a particular file. Or using macros you can enter the same address into the TO field; there are many more useful things you can do with template macros:
~%ADDBCC=
pastes the specified email address/es to the BCC field. If there are any emails entered, they will be kept.
~%ADDCC=
adds the necessary email to the CC field keeping any current addresses.
~%ADDTO=
enters an address you specify into the TO line. It will appear along with any current emails in this field.
~%ATTACHFILE=
With this macro, you can create a template with attachment to automatically insert a file each time you paste the template into Outlook. Once you insert this macro, you'll see the Windows Explorer window where you can browse for the file to be attached. After you select the file and click OK, the macro will contain the file path after =, e.g.: ~%ATTACHFILE=C:\Program Files\Add-in Express\AddIns\Template Phrases for Microsoft Outlook\readme.txt
Now each time you paste this template into an e-mail message, the file will be attached and you'll get a confirmation window about it. You can disable confirmation if you like.
~%WHAT_TO_ENTER[field label]
prompts you to enter the necessary value every time you insert a template into an Outlook message. For instance, if you insert ~%WHAT_TO_ENTER[Name] into the template, each time you paste it you'll see a dialog box that will let you enter the name.
~%ATTACHMENTS
Use this macro in Outlook template for inserting a list of attachments into the message text. Each time you use a template with this macro, all the attachment names will be listed in the message body.
~%TO
inserts the display name of a contact from the TO field into the of a message body. E.g. you can start a template with "Hi ~%TO," and each time you insert it, the macro will be replaced with the recipient display name, e.g. "Hi James".
~%BCC
inserts the address(es) from the BCC field into the message.
~%BEHALF_OF_NAME
allows entering an email address to automatically send certain emails on behalf of another person.
~%CC
inserts the address(es) from the CC field into the email.
~%CLEAR_SIGNATURE
will be really helpful if you have certain signature pasted automatically, but there are several templates that require a different one. With this macro in your template, the current signature will be deleted and you will not need to do it manually.
~%SUBJECT
inserts the contents of the Subject field into the message.
~%CLIPBOARD
inserts the clipboard item into the message. Please note that this macro pastes only text, it doesn't work with pictures or graphical objects.
~%DATE
inserts the current date.
~%TIME
inserts the current time.
~%FILLTO=
will fill in the TO field with the email address you enter after =, e.g. ~%FILLTO=support@ablebits.com. Please note that any current email address will be deleted.
~%FILLCC= =
will fill in the CC field with the email address you enter after =, e.g. ~%FILLCC=support@ablebits.com. All current addresses in this line will be removed.
~%FILLBCC=
will fill in the BCC field with the email address you enter after =, e.g. ~%FILLBCC=support@ablebits.com. Any current BCC addresses will be removed.
~%FILLSUBJECT=
will fill in the Subject field with the text you enter after =, e.g. ~%FILLSUBJECT=Sample Subject. Now each time you insert the template with this macro into an Outlook message, the subject will be set to the one you entered.
~%FROM_ACCOUNT=
lets you specify the preferred From address. It's possible to enter the email address manually if it's not in your Account Settings. Please note that the behavior of this macro depends on your Outlook and Exchange settings.
~%SELECTED
is for similar e-mails with some text that may vary, like the product name, price, etc. Just highlight the text that needs to be used this time before inserting the template with this macro and ~%SELECTED is replaced with the selection. For example, instead of creating a number of templates like these:
We create just one template:
Our ~%SELECTED is compatible with Microsoft Outlook 2016, 2013-2007.
So when we reply to a question about the compatibility of the Template Phrases with Outlook, we copy the add-in's name from the customer's question, paste it to our reply message and highlight it.
Then we double-click on the template and get:
Our Template Phrases is compatible with Microsoft Outlook 2016, 2013-2007.
~%INSERT_RECIPIENT_FIRSTNAME
inserts the first name of the recipient if their contacts are saved in Outlook Contacts (the panel in the lower-left corner of your Outlook). Otherwise, the email address is inserted.
~%INSERT_RECIPIENT_LASTNAME
insert the last name of the recipient into a message if their contacts are saved in Outlook Contacts. Otherwise, the email address is inserted.
~%INSERT_RECIPIENT_FULLNAME
inserts the full name of the recipient if their contacts are saved in Outlook Contacts. Otherwise, the email address is inserted.
~%INSERT_RECIPIENT1_FIRSTNAME
inserts the first name of the recipients that are indicated in the TO field if their contacts are saved in Outlook Contacts (the panel in the lower-left corner of your Outlook). Otherwise, the email address is inserted.
~%INSERT_RECIPIENT1_LASTNAME
insert the last name of the recipients that are indicated in the TO field into a message if their contacts are saved in Outlook Contacts. Otherwise, the email address is inserted.
~%INSERT_RECIPIENT1_FULLNAME
inserts the full name of the recipients that are indicated in the TO field if their contacts are saved in Outlook Contacts. Otherwise, the email address is inserted.
~%INSERT_TEMPLATE[]
lets you enter a name of a template in brackets and insert it within and another template. Then if you change the source template, this macro will automatically paste the updated version so that you don't need to change it in each text snippet.
~%SWITCH_TO_HTML
converts your email to the HTML format when you insert the template.
~%CURSOR
will position the cursor at the needed place within your message. For example, after Hello, so that you can instantly enter the name of the recipient.
~%INSERT_RECIPIENT_LASTNAME
inserts the last name of the recipient if their contacts are saved in Outlook Contacts.
~%REQUEST_DELIVERY_RECEIPT
will automatically request a delivery receipt for your email.
~%SET_HIGH_IMPORTANCE
will automatically set message importance to High.
~%SET_LOW_IMPORTANCE
will automatically set message importance to Low.
You can use a specific template in your email, assign a shortcut to a template, use templates automatically, or select a paste option.
If you need to reply to a message using a particular email template, you can choose one of the following ways:
You can easily assign a keyboard shortcut to a specific template and have it inserted into the message by pressing a hotkey.
There is an even easier way to use your email templates in Outlook - assigning a special shortcut to your template: New, Reply, Reply to All or Forward.
Such templates will be inserted automatically when you create a new message, write a reply, etc.:
Pick the shortcut you need.
To save your time on applying the same formatting to the email text, you can use the Paste Options button.
The available options depend on the type of content you are pasting and the format of the text where you are pasting.
Thus, Template Phrases gives you a number of handy ways to insert the template text the way you need.
Here you will learn how to create a new folder in the templates tree, edit folder names, delete a template, and move templates and folders.
If you use email templates in Outlook on a daily basis, you should have dozens of them. So it can be a good idea to organize them into folders.
In the drop-down menu, select the New folder item:
You can also right-click the place in the templates tree where you'd like to have the new folder and pick New folder.
Select a template or a folder you want to delete and press the Del key or the Delete icon in the Outlook Template Phrases toolbar:
You can also right-click on the folder or template and select the Delete option.
To change the position of an email template or folder, just drag and drop it to the place where you want it to be.
If you want to rearrange or organize lots of Outlook templates and folders, benefit from the Manage Templates option:
You can create company-wide templates, work with shared Outlook templates, and protect them.
You can create shared templates that you can use and improve together with your colleagues straight in Outlook. Company-wide templates are stored on a shared network drive so that other people can add this folder to their template tree and use it along with their own texts. This feature is great for sales or support teams.
Follow these steps when your Outlook templates are in a shared network drive.
If your shared templates folder is stored in Dropbox or OneDrive, the other users need to make sure the folder is synced up to their local disc and reopen the Template Phrases pane.
When you share Outlook templates, it can be a good idea to protect them from any changes, accidental or not. By default, you can edit Shared Templates the same way you edit your own. If you want to keep templates stored on a shared network drive, please set the read-only attribute for the file:
You can also set Permission level to Read only for the folder that contains the file.
Once you do this, your file with the shared templates will become read-only.
Learn how to back up your Outlook templates and copy and back up template folders.
If you ever happen to lose your Outlook email templates, you can easily restore them with the backup option. You can export the existing email templates and import them into your computer if you lose your templates or get a new PC.
To import your templates, right-click the folder that will contain the transferred templates in the list and select the Import option. The templates will be imported into the selected folder and placed at the end of the list:
You can retrieve your lost or deleted template file in Outlook 2016 - 2007.
The folder with your templates is stored here:
If Application Data or AppData Folder is hidden, please do the following:
If you lose your templates, please follow these steps:
The Search field allows you to find the correct text snippet in seconds without scrolling up and down the template tree:
You can paste, edit, delete templates and add or remove them from favorites.
When you use templates in Outlook every day, it can be handy to pick favorite templates and arrange them the way you like: have them all in one folder or organize them into any number of folders. You can even create a shortcut to your favorite Outlook templates.
Here you can learn how to take advantage of the Template Phrases options.
The Template Phrases pane is also available when you are just reading messages. Thus, you can create email templates based on the messages already written and sent by you or your correspondents.
Do the following to see the Templates pane in all types of messages:
When working with the templates for Outlook, you may see two confirmation dialog boxes: one asking if you are sure you want to delete a template or a folder and the other letting you know if the ~%ATTACHFILE= macro worked and if the file was added. You can disable or enable these confirmations:
You can specify the number of saved search requests and clear the list:
The most recently used Outlook templates are added to the Recent tab automatically. You can clear the list, specify the way you want to sort the templates and define the number of templates you want to see in this tab:
Click the Other tab to select the database file location. It may be helpful if you want to store your templates in a Cloud drive and need to easily access it from any place:
Responses
Hi Teh Viewing pane is now dispalying separate to the outlook email.
Is there a setting of fix for this?
many thanks
Peter
Hi, Peter,
Thank you for your question! I'm really sorry that you are having difficulties with our add-in.
This week we have published the new version of Template Phrases for Outlook where some issues were fixed, including the one you described. Please install the latest update, version 2018.1.96.7276, and check if you have the same problem with the new version.
Please do the following:
1. Uninstall the current version of the add-in via Control Panel -> Programs and Features.
NOTE: please make sure to copy the templates.data file to some location on your PC in order not to lose your templates during re-installation. By default, the file with your templates is stored in the following folder:
C:\Users\USER_NAME\AppData\Roaming\Add-in Express\Template Phrases for Microsoft Outlook
2. Download and install the latest version of Template Phrases using this direct link:
https://www.ablebits.com/files/get.php?addin=ol-template-phrases
3. Open Outlook and try to reproduce the issue.
If you are still facing the same problem, please contact our support team at support@ablebits.com
Hi there, I just added this add in to my outlook. I am having trouble getting the subject line to populate to the name of my attachment. Please help!
Hi Ariel,
To populate your subject with the attachment name, please try this macro:
~%FILLSUBJECT=~%ATTACHMENTS
Also, make sure to add the attachments with the following:
~%ATTACHFILE=[File path]
Hope this helps. 🙂
Is there a format using the macros to prompt to select a Contact's information into the message?
I want to be prompted which Contact I want to be added into the email message.
Example:
Template Phrases has Contact_001, Contact_002, ..., Contact_100
Contact_001 => Jane Doe
111 Main St.
Anywhere, USA
P#: 111-222-3333
M# 444-555-6666
Hello John Doe,
I have reached out to the person whom you need to speak with. There contact information is bellow.
PROMPT to enter Contact Phrase here, either by name of Template or preferably a drop down selection.
Hello Jim,
Thank you for contacting us.
Unfortunately, there is no such macro to help you with your task. There is a ~%INSERT_RECIPIENT_FULLNAME macro that adds the full name of the recipient if their contacts are saved in Outlook Contacts and ~%WHAT_TO_ENTER[] macro that prompts you to enter the necessary value every time you insert a template that can partially help.
Please find the full list of available macros here.
I figured it out.
~%INSERT_TEMPLATE[~%WHAT_TO_ENTER[Contact_001;Contact_002;Contact_003;Contact_100]]
Jim,
You are right! This combination works like a charm. Thank you for sharing your solution.
Is there a way to create a template which includes highlighted text to replaced? like on a Microsoft word form.
Hello Carlie,
Thank you for contacting us.
You can create a template with some highlighted text, but there is no such an option you are referring to in the Template Phrases editor. Please check your Inbox for an email from us as well.
Thank you.
I lost all my template. The New button won't do anything, cannot open the options menu, the Templates tree is empty. Is there a solution?
Edit: The Add-on is working online but still blank on my PC in the Outlook (Office 365).
Hello Zoltán,
Thank you for contacting us.
We have two different Template Phrases - the standard Template Phrases and Template Phrases for Outlook online. The first one works for the desktop version of Outlook, while the second one supports Outlook online as well.
Please tell us which one you have and send us a screenshot of the add-in pane to support@ablebits.com.
Thank you.
I have the same problem as Zoltan since around the same time on multiple computers.
Template Phrases is enabled via the office365 administrator for all users and it just stopped working.
Maybe a windows update has caused the addon to no longer work? It simply wont show the saved templates anymore making the addon useless.
any suggestions on how to fix this?
Hello Phil,
We have just replied to you by email, please check your Inbox. Thank you.
Windows 10 has been out for a number of years. The appdata location is not correct using the Windows 7 instructions. I'm trying to find my folder but it's not visible.
Hello Phil,
You can access the folder that contains the file with your templates right from the add-in:
If you need any further assistance, please email us to support@ablebits.com. Thank you.
The addon stopped working in outlook desktop. I had it working for months but it recently cleared out all the templates and the panel is blank. I cannot click on new or the arrow or the ellipsis. When I click on AbleBits it sends me to the website. I've reloaded the addon, updated windows 10 and outlook, it came back briefly and I was able to send a few emails with the template but it has stopped working. Im unsure how to fix.
Hello Tim,
Thank you for contacting us.
We have just replied to you via email. Please provide us with the requested information and we’ll do our best to help. Thank you.
Hi I was just wondering if there is a way this could work?
~%WHAT_TO_ENTER[~%INSERT_TEMPLATE[Template 1];~%INSERT_TEMPLATE[Template 2];~%INSERT_TEMPLATE[Template 3]]
This would be very useful to chain templates.
Thanks
Hi Ty,
Thank you for your question. I would recommend taking a look at our brand-new Shared Email Templates. There you can give shortcuts to any templates you need (for detailed instructions, please visit this page) and use them in combination with the ~%WHAT_TO_ENTER macro. This is an example of the required HTML code line: ~%WHAT_TO_ENTER[##Template1;##Template2;##Template3;{title:"Choose template"}]
If you have any other questions, please feel free to email us at support@ablebits.com.
Hello, is there a way to add pictures and/or tables into a template? Thank you.
Hello Edyta,
Thank you for your question. I recommend looking at our new Shared Email Templates add-in that has much more advanced functionality. It allows inserting pictures from different platforms, as well as tables and datasets. If you are interested, please install the add-in following these instructions: https://www.ablebits.com/docs/outlook-shared-templates-installation/
BTW, you can find our manuals and tutorials here: https://www.ablebits.com/docs/#shared-email-templates-outlook