Argh! OL2003 forms cache corruption

[Al Blake]

We are using OL2003 + Ex2k3. We have ONE custom form which has worked
through all iterations of outlook, that users use to make calendar bookings.
It's a modified meeting request form. It is *not* used in any public
folders.

On a daily basis since upgrading to Ol2k3 some users are prevented from
opening the form. This seems to be due to a corrupted form cache. If we
clear their cache then they can open the form. If we modify the version in
the Org library then their system sees a new version and downloads it and it
works ok.....but after some arbitrary period of time it is corrupt once
more.

This is driving us mad as neither clearing the cache (which is 732 levels
down the menu tree and impossible for an end user to find!) or continually
modifying the form are a long-term solution.

Any suggestions? Is this a bug? I have seen posts related to problems with
forms and publuc folders currupting the cache but as I said we are not using
forms in PFs.

Does anyone know a way I could script a clear of the forms cache to occur
either during logon or when OL is opened as a short term fix?

Al Blake, Canberra, Australia

 

[John Riddle]

Al,

Yeah, we have the problem all the time too. I created a script to clear the
forms cache and it works fine for all of our users. Unfortunately, I don't
know how to do it from within Outlook because Outlook needs to be closed in
order for it to work. I instruct my users to keep in on their desktop and if
they have a problem opening a form, close outlook, double-click the icon and
then re-open Outlook. It works fine.

Here's the script:
----------------------------------------------------------------
Dim fso
Dim f
Dim f2
Dim f3
Dim badFolder
Dim f6
Dim badFile


Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
'strPath = "C:\Documents and Settings\" & UserName & "\local
settings\application data\forms"


Set f = fso.GetFolder("C:\Documents and Settings")
Set sf = f.SubFolders

For Each f2 In sf
Set sf2 = f2.SubFolders
For Each f3 In sf2
If f3.Name = "Local Settings" Then
Set sf3 = f3.SubFolders
For Each f4 In sf3
If f4.Name = "Application Data" Then
Set sf4 = f4.SubFolders
For Each f5 In sf4
If f5.Name = "Microsoft" Then
Set sf5 = f5.SubFolders
For Each f6 In sf5
If f6.Name = "FORMS" Then
For Each badFolder In f6.SubFolders
badFolder.Delete (True)
Next
For Each badFile In f6.Files
badFile.Delete (True)
Next
End If
Next
End If
Next
End If
Next
End If
Next
Next

MsgBox "Your forms cache is clear!"

-----------------------------------------------------------

That's it. Just paste it into NotePad and then save it as
ClearFormsCache.VBS

If you're running a virus checker, the first time it's run, you'll probably
have to authorize the script. Because it deletes file, Norton and others
think it is malicious.

John

 

[Al Blake]

OK - seems there is a hotfix out.
My advice to everyone if you are having problems with forms in OL2003 - get
the hotfix !
We were also running into problems with editing a form from the Org
library...and being given and *old* copy of the form from the cache - even
after the cache had been cleared(!)....so it seems there are multiple
problems with the forms cache in OL2003.

Got the HF in record time from PSS (5 mins on hold) and even though we were
not having *exactly* the problem documented for the HF (our problem was not
related to forms in the PF tree) the HF fixed it.......

ask for

KB Article Number(s): 831586, 833856
Language: English
Platform: i386

Hope this helps out others.
Al.

 

[John Riddle]

Does the Hot Fix help if you're not using PF Favorites? Noone in my
organization uses Public Folder Favorites at all. But everyone is having
problems with their forms cache.

John

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

No, the hotfix is for just that issue. Other cache problems are still there.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers



"John Riddle" <jriddleatsignwilsongroupnyperiodcom> wrote in message
Does the Hot Fix help if you're not using PF Favorites? Noone in my
organization uses Public Folder Favorites at all. But everyone is having
problems with their forms cache.

John

 

[Al Blake]

Sue,

It seems that for *some* of our users the hotfx fixed the other cache
related issues....but not for all of them. The forms cache in 2003 is really
flakey.

Does anyone know whether it is possible to script clearing the OL forms
cache? If so I will put it in a logon script becuase we are really stuffed
here....we cant go back to OLXP for 600+ nodes....and we cant have
Organisational forms that only load 20% of the time

Al.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Something like this should work:

del "%userprofile%\Local Settings\Application
Data\Microsoft\FORMS\frmcache.dat"

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers



Sue,

It seems that for *some* of our users the hotfx fixed the other cache
related issues....but not for all of them. The forms cache in 2003 is really
flakey.

Does anyone know whether it is possible to script clearing the OL forms
cache? If so I will put it in a logon script becuase we are really stuffed
here....we cant go back to OLXP for 600+ nodes....and we cant have
Organisational forms that only load 20% of the time

Al.

 

[Al Blake]

Thanks Sue,
In the interim I had come up with a jscript that does the same thing that we
apply through AD for all our staff as we are all XP workstations on Windows
2003 native domain. (we find jscript scripts run a lot faster than calling
bat or cmd files). Here's the message I recently sent out to our tech team
in case it helps anyone else:
============================================================================
=================
We have been running into problems recently with the custoim form used to
make bookings on the sytem. It seems that after an arbitrary period of time
the locally cached version of the form gets corrupted and users can no
longer make bookings. This is a known issue with the latest version of
Outlook. At some stage M$ will patch it but until then I have tried to
implement a work-around that clears the folder where the forms cache is
stored every time that the user logs on. Hopefully this will keep the issue
under control until there is a real fix. If you are interested this is the
jscript that is executed for every staff member when they log on:

/* ClearFormCache.js
A utility Javascript to clear the local OUtlook form cache from a machine
running Outlook 2003.
Created to overcome bugs in the OL2k3 forms cache when using custom forms.
Al Blake 17th March 2004 */

var WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell");
var WshSysEnv = WshShell.Environment("PROCESS");
var StartPath = WshSysEnv("USERPROFILE") + "\\Local Settings\\Application
Data\\Microsoft\\FORMS\\*" ;

function ClearFolder(folderspec)
{
var fso;
fso = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
try{fso.DeleteFolder(folderspec,1)};catch(e){}
try{fso.DeleteFile(folderspec,1);}catch(e){}

}

ClearFolder(StartPath);