Auto Format (and Color) Outlook Appointments

A few years ago I got turned on to the idea of indexing your life by color. In a quick glance your mind can comprehend really complex patterns. By coloring entries in my calendar I am able to tell immediately if I am available or if a future appointment conflicts with a work meeting.



There are a number of ways to set this up. Outlook allows you to add a label to every appointment. However this is an Outlook specific feature and I sync my calendar across Outlook, Yahoo! and iCalendar. The later two don't even have labels.

Besides, calendars should be simple. Complexity only hinders usability, so I prefer an automated solution.

How to color appointments in Outlook automatically:

1. In Calendar, right-click the calendar grid, and then click Automatic Formatting on the shortcut menu.
2. Click Add, and then type a name for the rule.
3. In the Label list, click a color.
4. Click Condition to specify the conditions under which the color will be applied.

Note: If you manually assign a color to an item, automatic coloring cannot be used on that item.

Step 4 opens the Condition Filter Dialog. There's a lot you can do.

Here's a simple example I use to highlight Meetings in my Calendar: