Tips, tricks, tools, and techniques for Microsoft Office

I'm always looking for ways to make my job easier, so I welcome programs that do things for me automatically. I especially like software that provides me with shortcuts to my routines and can also help do the tedious data manipulations when they're needed. Basically, I want a program that can do a recurring task with varying data and has some "smarts" built in.

Word can convert tabbed lists into a table, for example -- it's a simple example of converting one form of data into another. Anagram is another example: it can convert clipboard text into appointments, contacts, tasks, or notes. Its built-in intelligence is mind-boggling.

I regularly receive e-mails from vendors asking if I can participate in a conference call at a particular time to discuss a new product. With Anagram, I swipe part of their e-mail message -- "Can we call you tomorrow at 10 to discuss Acme Software's new product for 20 minutes?" -- and tell Anagram to turn it into an appointment scheduled for the next day, starting at 10:00 a.m. and lasting 20 minutes (see illustration). Anagram opens Outlook (if necessary) and displays the new task, waiting for me to make final edits and save the appointment. I asked Anagram to leave the appointment subject blank, but it could have filled that in too, and I also asked that Anagram shorten the appointment text (it removes the date, time, and duration, since those items are now part of the appointment itself).

Likewise, if I highlight a signature block in an e-mail, I can ask Anagram to add a new contract entry to Outlook. A reminder from a colleague can be selected and converted into a To Do list item with a couple of keystrokes.

Anagram waits patiently as a system tray icon; select the text and click on the icon and Anagram goes to work. Alternatively, or you can select text and then press the shortcut keys (you can choose from among several shortcut combinations -- I picked Left Ctrl + F12). Should Anagram create the wrong type of entry, you can use the Anagram icon on Outlook's toolbar and change a note to a task, for example.

Anagram is quite smart in analyzing names, addresses, phone numbers, and appointment details, though it's not perfect. A request for "a meeting two weeks from Tuesday" wasn't properly understood; Anagram made the appointment for the very next Tuesday. Even so, for the majority of text I tried, Anagram did an admirable job of understanding meeting requests and contact information.

The program comes in separate versions for Outlook (I tested it with Outlook 2000) and Palm-compatible PDAs. It's $19.95 for the first copy (of either version), and $6.95 for each additional copy you want to run on an alternative computer. (A separate version for use with Salesforce.com is available for $6.95 per month.) The vendor offers a generous 45-day free trial, which is more than enough time to see how the program can make a difference in your daily work life.

Timesaving utilities that take the drudgery out of everyday tasks make a difference. It's a joy to find a program that can relieve me of the hassle of translating an e-mail into an appointment, or add a contact from a signature block -- Anagram does some of the thinking (and all of the keystrokes) for me for very little money.

You can find more information about Anagram at

   http://getanagram.com

-- James E. Powell

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