Outlook Tips : Tip 434: Change Reply Format

Thursday, August 02, 2007 5:17 PM by outlooktips

Tip 434: Change Reply Format

A surprising number of people ask this question: "How do I set Outlook to always reply in HTML or RTF? When replying to, or forwarding, an email that is in plain text format, it always uses plain text. I want to force it to use RTF or HTML. I know I can change it every time, but I want it to be automatic."

Outlook does not offer a way to always use a specific format for all replies, be it RTF or HTML. You need to either change it on each message or write VBA macro to change the format. (You can force plain text replies to all messages by using the option to read all mail in plain text.)

Because you cannot be 100% sure that the sender is not using a blackberry or cellular phone to read and reply to their mail, you should avoid changing the format on replies unless you have a valid reason - such as highlighting text, inserting tables or using bullet points. If you are replying with basic paragraphs of text, respect the sender's choice of plain text format.

Do not use RTF format for any message unless you know the recipient uses Outlook, otherwise they will get a plain text message and a winmail.dat attachment.

Filed Under: Outlook General

Comments

# re: Tip 434: Change Reply Format

Monday, September 10, 2007 6:51 AM by

You can use this macro to make outlook work like You need it to.
Specify if You want to reply in plain or HTML format.
Put this macro in VBS editor into ThisOutlookSession

Choose if you want to reply in HTML or plain text in this line:
'olFormat = olFormatPlain '(*1) - always use plain text
olFormat = olFormatHTML '(*2) - always use HTML

In this case, reply, forward, reply to all is generated in HTML.

If You want it to be in plain, just make it like this:
olFormat = olFormatPlain '(*1) - always use plain text
'olFormat = olFormatHTML '(*2) - always use HTML

\\\macro - begin///

Option Explicit

Private WithEvents oExpl As Explorer
Private WithEvents oItem As MailItem

Private bDiscardEvents As Boolean
Private olFormat As OlBodyFormat

Private Sub Application_Startup()

Set oExpl = Application.ActiveExplorer

bDiscardEvents = False

'olFormat = olFormatPlain '(*1) - uz.ywaj zawsze formatu "zwyk?y tekst"
olFormat = olFormatHTML '(*2) - uz.ywaj zawsze formatu HTML

End Sub

Private Sub oExpl_SelectionChange()

On Error Resume Next
Set oItem = oExpl.Selection.Item(1)

End Sub

' (*3) Uz.ytkownik wybra? polecenie "Odpowiedz"
Private Sub oItem_Reply(ByVal Response As Object, Cancel As Boolean)

If bDiscardEvents Or oItem.BodyFormat = olFormat Then
Exit Sub
End If

'(*4) Anuluj domys'lna; akcje;
Cancel = True

bDiscardEvents = True

' (*5) Utwo'rz odpowiedz' na wiadomos'c' w formacie tekstowym
Dim oResponse As MailItem
Set oResponse = oItem.Reply
oResponse.BodyFormat = olFormat
oResponse.Display

bDiscardEvents = False

End Sub

' (*6) Uz.ytkownik wybra? polecenie "Odpowiedz wszystkim"
Private Sub oItem_ReplyAll(ByVal Response As Object, Cancel As Boolean)

If bDiscardEvents Or oItem.BodyFormat = olFormat Then
Exit Sub
End If

Cancel = True

bDiscardEvents = True

Dim oResponse As MailItem
Set oResponse = oItem.ReplyAll
oResponse.BodyFormat = olFormat
oResponse.Display

bDiscardEvents = False

End Sub

' (*7) Uz.ytkownik wybra? polecenie "Przes'lij dalej"
Private Sub oItem_Forward(ByVal Forward As Object, Cancel As Boolean)

If bDiscardEvents Or oItem.BodyFormat = olFormat Then
Exit Sub
End If

Cancel = True

bDiscardEvents = True

Dim oResponse As MailItem
Set oResponse = oItem.Forward
oResponse.BodyFormat = olFormat
oResponse.Display

bDiscardEvents = False

End Sub

\\\macro -end ///

This one is for Polish Outlook.
but it should work like a charm in any ather.
The only thing You should do is to disable macro warnings.

Regards

# re: Tip 434: Change Reply Format

Tuesday, August 26, 2008 1:26 AM by

Very nice piece of code. However, I had my own fonts specified and by running this, they kept changing to the default "Times New Roman". A small change to the code fixed that for me.

Just flip the order of the following code:

oResponse.BodyFormat = olFormat
oResponse.Display

to

oResponse.Display
oResponse.BodyFormat = olFormat

and my own specified font formats stays. It takes less than a fraction of a second to change the format. So displaying it first does not cause any problem.

# re: Tip 434: Change Reply Format

Thursday, June 04, 2009 5:26 AM by

Hi ,

Nice Piece of code. Does this piece of code run on Outlook 2003 as well ? i can only run it on outlook 2007

Also, i realize if you save an email as .msg format, and you try to reply, replyall, or forward, it will not change the formatting.

Can someone figure out why?

THanks.

Best Rgds

# re: Tip 434: Change Reply Format

Tuesday, June 30, 2009 12:00 PM by

I've tried to use this code but was not able. I put it in ThisOutlookSession as instructed. Is that all that needs to be done?
Are there anything else to do in Outlook or VBA for the code to work?
I'm not familiar with VBA but have good knowladge in coding and pc's in general so if someone could tell me what steps to take for this nice funcionality to work in me outlook I would be much apreciated.

cheers