Setup Outlook Signature for Domain Users

[zeebee]

Hi folks! I want my users to have signatures. We are using Exchange 2003 and Outlook 2003. Currently we have a complete chaos. Everybody signs his messages like we wants… complete pell-mell. Heads are pressing me. They want users to standardize the signature. Can anybody help me?

[Keith Ritchey]

So what's the problem? Just write the help for them. Sometimes they should something themselves! Enable Word as the default editor for Outlook e-mail messages.
1. Open Outlook, select Tools|Options and go to the Mail Format tab
2. On that tab set the Use Microsoft Word to edit e-mail messages check box
3. Save settings and compose the message

To put the signature to the message
1. Select Tools|Options and go to the Mail Format tab
2. From the Compose in this message format list select the format that you want to use the signature with. I suggest you select HTML
But warn them to not build signature that is too complex. It can lead to problems with Outlook 2007 because it uses its own HTML processing engine, so that it may lost the complex formatting.
Go the way like these guys go . See the article from Microsoft for the details.

[zeebee]

Thanks, Keith, but I doubt that will help them a lot. There always will be one guy that will do that in his own way. Moreover, I am afraid this can be too complex for some users that have just understood how to read the mail and reply on it… What I am searching is the way to automate it.

[Keith Ritchey]

Try using VBScript. Use the TypeText method and ADSI scripting to query info from Active Directory. If you have Exchange 2003 I suppose you have also Windows Server 2003 installed.

[zeebee]

That looks close to what I want. But I am very poor at scripting. Are there any examples on how to do that? Yeah, we have Windows Server 2003 here.

[Keith Ritchey]

Take a look at this article by ScriptingGuys. They describe there (although very briefly) on how you can manage this. But at last you will get the general idea. I knew there are special tools that allow to script it within the GUI environment. Also, I believe Scriptlogic has something that is capable of that.

[RubberSky]

Yes, you can take a look at Scriptlogic's desktop authority. Probably that's what you want to get here. We use it to build signatures for our users and we gather the information from Active Directory so that it performs automatically for users. As for example, take a look here. They have sample KIX32 script in their script library. The main thing here with this tool for me is its flexibility. You can leave all settings alone and do the things in fully automated mode, or you can go your own way and implement custom features writing KIX scripted functions and adding them to builtin tool functionality.

[Keith Ritchey]

I see standardized corp signatures here in your link. Looks like I was right and Scriptlogic can do that indeed. Desktop Authority? I will take a more close look on it. As it seems it is really expandable tool. I see many references with imlementation of KIX scripting there on site. I like things to be standardized. That basically streamlines every process. Especially when we are dealing with corporate management. Thanks for the links. I hope my colleagues will like it. They like scripting, but I know some (including) me are interested in the way to automate things that you must do regularly. Unfortunately, usually, when you see the automation software after working with it for several times you come to realize that this tool automates just what you already have done by yourself. Or, more often, you realize that tool is able to do just those very basics that you are not interested in as they do not fit your needs here. And usually there are no way to extend the capabilities and make the tool work like I want it to. A vicious circle... But the ability to use KIX scripting only when I need it... that's something. Ah, Dean, old stager, you will like it. My friend likes KIX but he doesn't like anything that calls itself desktop management tool because as he says "they force you to crawl on all fours. I want to fly high, I want scripting". Will show him these links you gave. I like what they show here, hope he will appreciate it.

[zeebee]

Excellent! Thanks for all you helping me guys! After hours of fighting with my "homemade" scripts using the techniques you provided I decided to follow that your link to Scriptlogic to see if it is something that would simplify my sorrows somehow. Well, luckily they provide the real-life tool that really works and not only shows how it would work if you paid for it how it usually happens to be. I prepared for the test and installed in onto my VMWare VM I made for my script testings after I screwed up Active Directory schema playing with AD management. It sorted my troubles! I built the task to put standardized outlook signature for user mails (well that were test users but I hope that will work for real too). Now when I create the new mail being logged under different user profile that user gets the info inserted into the mail signature template I prepared right from the Active Directory. Thank you so much!