As you begin to collect, you will
soon find that a good organizational structure is a must.
By default, Outlook Express stores stationery in
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery
with all files in that one directory.
Even if you find this
organizational structure appealing, navigating to this location
is difficult. Every HTML file, graphic and sound file goes
into the same folder. Locating a specific file in this
folder can be a challenge.
A solution is to create a new
stationery folder at C:\Stationery (much easier to get to).
Two different methods of organizing your new folder are discussed
below, each has its own merits. Read through both methods
first before deciding which is best for you.
The first organizational
structure is one where all files (graphics, sound and html),
are kept together in individual folders by stationery.
Your directory tree would look
like this:
C:\Stationery
\Happy Birthday Stationery
\Simple Note Stationery
\ Etc.
The advantage here is that since
all the files for each stationery are kept together, it is not
necessary to use the full path for graphics in your script.
(Note: the full path must always be used for placing sound
files.)
Placing "birds.gif"
in the folder with your html script will allow you to refer to it
this simple form: 
This organization also makes it easy to locate and reuse your
stationery; it makes uploading to a web page easier. The
disadvantage is that it can be difficult to locate a specific
image or sound file. Images or sounds used in multiple
stationeries are stored in multiple places. You still have
to have some storage for unused images and sounds.
The second
organizational structure is by file type. With this
structure you have all the HTML files in one folder, the Graphics
in another and the Sound in a third.
C:\Stationery
\Graphics
\Sounds
\HTML
This organizational
method makes for easy location of specific files. If you
want a graphic, head to the graphics folder... Graphics programs
such as PSP or InfranView will show you thumbnails of all of your
graphics at once. The disadvantage is that you must use the
full path to your graphic in your html script. Placing
"birds.gif" in the graphics folder means the full
path must be specified as such:
The inconvenience of using the full path for your graphics can
easily be overcome by using PathCopy (a free utility available in
the downloads section). With this utility, you simply
locate the graphic file in Explorer, right click and copy the
full path, and then paste it into your html script. ( If
you keep your jpg or gif on your desktop while working on your
post, you can simply right click on the graphic and select copy
full path. Add a shortcut to your graphics folder in C:\Windows\Send
To and you can right click on the graphic when you are
finished with the post and send it off to your graphics folder
with ease.)
You can always use
some hybrid of both, storing your unused graphics together, while
keeping your prepared stationery together in individual folders.
There is no right or wrong way to organize, simply the one which
works best for you.
***********************************************
To let OE know where
your new stationery folder is we'll have to make a quick trip
into the registry. To make the change:
Start Regedit (Start | Run | Type "regedit").
First, make a backup
copy of your registry, in Regedit go to File | Export then export
the entire thing. Once that is done, navigate down to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Shared Tools
\ Stationery In this branch of the
registry, you will see two items: Backgrounds Folder, and
Stationery Folder. By default, both are set to C:\Program
Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Stationery. Double click on
the Stationery Folder entry and change it to represent the
location of your new stationery folder (i.e., C:\Stationery).
Now, Double Click on the entry for Backgrounds Folder - and
change this to the location of you new stationery folder. Close
Regedit and you're done. Note, be sure to have Outlook Express
closed when you make this change. Go
to your old stationery folder, select everything and then move it
all into the new folder(s).
