Outlook T & T:Moving the Flag Status Column in Outlook 2003's Mail Folder View

The new follow-up flags for Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 messages appear on the right side of a mail folder view, instead of on the left side with the other icons, such as the icon for attachments. Is there a way to move the Flag Status column to the left side of the mail folder view?

As you've probably noticed, the Flag Status column is a special column with its own functionality. If you right-click it, you don't see the typical context menu with the Open, Print, Reply, and other commands but rather a menu containing the six flag colors and commands for Flag Complete, Add Reminder, Clear Flag, and Set Default Flag. Another special characteristic of the Flag Status column is that you can't drag the column heading right or left to reposition it in the view.

It is possible to relocate the Flag Status column, but you'll lose the context menu with its flag commands. That menu is available only when the Flag Status column appears in its special position on the right.

To reposition the Flag Status column, you need to remove it from the view first, then restore it in the desired position. To remove the Flag Status column, choose View, Arrange By, Current View, Customize Current View, then click Fields. In the Fields dialog box, select Flag Status, then click Remove. Click OK once to return to the Customize View dialog box. To restore the column in its new location, click Fields again. In the Fields dialog box, drag Flag Status from the Available Fields list into the Show these fields in this order list, positioning it as you want it to appear in the view.