Microsoft Outlook 2003 - Excel Worksheets in a task.

RobD · 06-30-2008, 05:53 AM

Hello everyone and thanks in advance if anyone can help me with this !.

I have recently been upgraded from Office 2000 to office 2003. I have found a problem with it that only i have ever seem to have found ? possiby as when i search the web i can find no help for it. The problem is this.

I am an administrator, administration. I use Microsoft Outlook tasks alot as 1. i,m very forgetfull and 2. Well, there's alot to administrate and its usefull to keep track as Outlook is on from dawn till dusk. In 2000 i was able to copy and paste an excel worksheet into a task and be able to edit it by simply clicking in it (edit it using excell toolbar which pops up), i find this very very usefull as editing and uding an excel spreadsheet is alot more diverse than the tools you have in a task window and i need this sometimes. So i could have a task, and an excel spreadsheets interjected inbetween the text of the task for when i use colour and lists and other various Excel functions.

I have realised there is definitely something not right about Outlook 2003.

If I create an new email and copy and paste an excel spreadsheet into it, a little "paste options" icon appears in the bottom right corner (as it does with a lot of things in office 2003, which is quite handy) , from this I select the option "Microsoft office excel worksheet" this makes it retain all its excel type properties and allow you too edit it like an excel worksheet (i.e. when you click in it it brings up the an excel toolbar with which to format it and when you right click it, it gives you excel properties". As well as double clicking it you can go (from the top of the screen)

Edit dropdown, then 'Work sheet object'

and if you select this another sub-menu to the side comes up with a list 'Edit, Open, Properties'. If I click on edit this also takes me into the excel worksheet in edit mode (allows me to edit it as an excel worksheet).

In a task when I paste in a worksheet, I also get the icon in the corner that allows me to select "Microsoft office excel worksheet" and I can also, form the top of the screen go "Edit - Microsoft object - Edit". However when I do this from within a task it does nothing. I.e. i can see the spreadsheet but it won't let me edit it, which is useless too me. It simply has a black frame around it which you can pull it around by (make it a different size)

This suggests to me there is a bug in the program as it actually gives you the option of selection "Edit - Microsoft object - edit" but then does nothing and does not allow me to edit it.

It would be a real problem for me to have a seperate spreadsheet (not part of tasks) to keep various infomation on as i have used this function greatly and would have to start editing in 2 seperate places (the now seperate spreadsheets plus the outlook tasks) for every task i keep track of (of which there is lots), and thats asking for trouble i will inevitably forget to change one or the other and things will get out of kilter.

Does anyone have a fix for this ? Have Microsoft removed this funciton (although why keep this function available for when in an e-mail and not in a task, i mean, who edits spreadsheets form within an email??), Can anyone help ??? Thanks.

RobD · 07-09-2008, 06:33 AM

Updating to 2003 SP2 hasn't worked

David M58 · 07-09-2008, 11:38 AM

I have observed the same thing you have. When I wanted to edit the linked spreadsheet, I had to go through the procedure of right-clicking the spreadsheet area, selecting Properties, clicking on the Link tab in the Linked Worksheet Properties dialog, and then clicking the Open Source button. Not very convenient.

06-30-2008, 05:53 AM	#1 (permalink)
RobD Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Derbyshire, UK Posts: 2 OS: winXP	Microsoft Outlook 2003 - Excel Worksheets in a task. Hello everyone and thanks in advance if anyone can help me with this !. I have recently been upgraded from Office 2000 to office 2003. I have found a problem with it that only i have ever seem to have found ? possiby as when i search the web i can find no help for it. The problem is this. I am an administrator, administration. I use Microsoft Outlook tasks alot as 1. i,m very forgetfull and 2. Well, there's alot to administrate and its usefull to keep track as Outlook is on from dawn till dusk. In 2000 i was able to copy and paste an excel worksheet into a task and be able to edit it by simply clicking in it (edit it using excell toolbar which pops up), i find this very very usefull as editing and uding an excel spreadsheet is alot more diverse than the tools you have in a task window and i need this sometimes. So i could have a task, and an excel spreadsheets interjected inbetween the text of the task for when i use colour and lists and other various Excel functions. I have realised there is definitely something not right about Outlook 2003. If I create an new email and copy and paste an excel spreadsheet into it, a little "paste options" icon appears in the bottom right corner (as it does with a lot of things in office 2003, which is quite handy) , from this I select the option "Microsoft office excel worksheet" this makes it retain all its excel type properties and allow you too edit it like an excel worksheet (i.e. when you click in it it brings up the an excel toolbar with which to format it and when you right click it, it gives you excel properties". As well as double clicking it you can go (from the top of the screen) Edit dropdown, then 'Work sheet object' and if you select this another sub-menu to the side comes up with a list 'Edit, Open, Properties'. If I click on edit this also takes me into the excel worksheet in edit mode (allows me to edit it as an excel worksheet). In a task when I paste in a worksheet, I also get the icon in the corner that allows me to select "Microsoft office excel worksheet" and I can also, form the top of the screen go "Edit - Microsoft object - Edit". However when I do this from within a task it does nothing. I.e. i can see the spreadsheet but it won't let me edit it, which is useless too me. It simply has a black frame around it which you can pull it around by (make it a different size) This suggests to me there is a bug in the program as it actually gives you the option of selection "Edit - Microsoft object - edit" but then does nothing and does not allow me to edit it. It would be a real problem for me to have a seperate spreadsheet (not part of tasks) to keep various infomation on as i have used this function greatly and would have to start editing in 2 seperate places (the now seperate spreadsheets plus the outlook tasks) for every task i keep track of (of which there is lots), and thats asking for trouble i will inevitably forget to change one or the other and things will get out of kilter. Does anyone have a fix for this ? Have Microsoft removed this funciton (although why keep this function available for when in an e-mail and not in a task, i mean, who edits spreadsheets form within an email??), Can anyone help ??? Thanks.

07-09-2008, 06:33 AM	#2 (permalink)
RobD Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Derbyshire, UK Posts: 2 OS: winXP	Re: Microsoft Outlook 2003 - Excel Worksheets in a task. Updating to 2003 SP2 hasn't worked

07-09-2008, 11:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
David M58 Registered User Join Date: May 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 160 OS: Windows XP SP3	Re: Microsoft Outlook 2003 - Excel Worksheets in a task. I have observed the same thing you have. When I wanted to edit the linked spreadsheet, I had to go through the procedure of right-clicking the spreadsheet area, selecting Properties, clicking on the Link tab in the Linked Worksheet Properties dialog, and then clicking the Open Source button. Not very convenient.