Show AllThe feature described in this Help topic is only available if support for right-to-left languages are enabled through Microsoft Office Language Settings. To enable right-to-left features, you must be running a Microsoft Windows operating system that has right-to-left support.
In general, all edit fields in an item have the same bidirectional capabilities. Bidirectional editing rules are the same whether fields use the Rich Text edit control, which provides formatting capabilities, or the system editor, a simple text editor.
Microsoft Outlook applies context rules that govern the reading order of text and how it is aligned according to its control type. Controls can support either plain text, Rich Text or HTML editing modes. Context determines the default text direction setting when applied to either of the following rules:
Context rules in an item's header controls
The reading order and alignment of the header field text of messages, appointments, contacts, and journal entries follow context determination rules. If the first strong character is left-to-right, reading order will be left-to-right and alignment will be to the left. If the first strong character is right-to-left, reading order will be right-to-left and alignment will be to the right. If only neutral characters are typed, the reading order and alignment will follow the paragraph direction of the header control (which could be left-to-right or right-to-left) until the first strong character is typed. Any time you change the first strong character from left-to-right to right-to-left or from right-to-left to left-to-right, the reading order and alignment will change accordingly.
Note Using CTRL+SHIFT (LEFT or RIGHT) to change reading order and alignment will not work if there is a strong character in the control, but it will work when the control is empty or it contains neutrals. Using ALT+SHIFT (LEFT or RIGHT) to change reading order will work all the time.
Context rules in edit controls of Table view
When the global text direction is set to Context, Outlook displays text in the columns of Table view following its own context determination rules รน for example, when the first strong character of the text is left-to-right, the text will be displayed with left-to-right reading order. When the first strong character of the text is right-to-left, text will be displayed with right-to-left reading order. When the text contains only neutral characters, it will be displayed in left-to-right reading order. Alignment in all cases will follow the alignment set for the individual columns. Clicking any text to edit it will take you to edit mode, if you have selected this option.
Note While editing in Table view with global text direction set to Context, you can use CTRL+SHIFT (LEFT or RIGHT) to change the reading order and alignment in edit mode.
Outlook will preserve all formatting information when messages are originated by using Rich Text editors such as the Microsoft Exchange client and Microsoft Word 95 or later Arabic editions.
When messages or scheduling information originate using plain text clients such as Microsoft Mail 3.2 and Microsoft Schedule+ clients, Outlook will display the received data according to its own global text direction rules.