Clout

Frequently Asked Questions

This page answers the following questions:

Can I try Clout before buying it?

Yes you can! The software can be run in demonstration mode for up to 30 days. After 30 days, if you wish to continue using Clout, you must buy a license.

Why would I want a Command Line for Outlook; aren't Graphical User Interfaces better?

Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are better than Command Line Interfaces (CLIs) for many things. A GUI can display information visually, and can be particularly helpful when you are not familiar with an application. But, GUIs can also be a little bit slow to use, and if you have a Command Line interface to do certain tasks, they can often be quicker to use once you have familiarised yourself with the commands that you use.

Clout uses simple commands that are plain-English (or at least almost plain English), and allows you to refer to dates and times in many different ways. However, because Clout is a Command Line running inside a GUI, it also gives you all the benefits of a GUI interface; for example, Clout has a visual Command Wizard (to help you learn the command format) and uses standard menus, dialogs and so on for much of its interaction with you the user.

In summary, you can save time by using Clout!

What are the license terms for Clout?

For full details of the license, please see the LICENSE.txt file installed with the software. Broadly speaking, though, a single license is for a single named user on one 'desktop' type computer and one 'laptop' type computer. So, if you have a home computer and a separate laptop with Outlook 2003 installed on both, you can install Clout on both machines under your user name for the price of just one license.

However, if 'Bob' and 'Shirley' share a computer, they will need a Clout license each if they both want to use it.

I want to set a Value on the Command-line, but I don't see how

Unfortunately, not every possible value for a record can be set through the command line. In some cases, this is because we have decided not to implement it for the first release of the program. In other cases, it may not be possible for the program to set a particular value using the methods we currently have available to us.

For example, we would like to be able to set the 'Label' value in an Appointment record that controls what colour the appointment will have in the Calendar view. Unfortunately, we do not seem to be able to set this programmatically at this time (but we may try harder in due course!)

Please check the Command Wizard dialog to see all the different command options. And if there is a value you would like to be able to set a particular value from Clout, please make a suggestion (use the Help menu on the Clout toolbar) to let us know what settings are important to you.