cannot change format of a field

[DLJ]

Hi,

When I right click on a field in a particular folder and
go to format columns, under available fields, i have
the "status" field there. Now the problem is, when i
click on that field, under format, it says, "Text with
popup list". However, in another folder, doing the same
thing, under format, it says, "Text". My issue is that i
want it to just be "text" because the attachments i put
in those folders have values in the "status" field under
the format "text". But because the format in outlook
is "text with popup list", it doesn't show up. I'm not
sure if this is clear enough, but if someone could help
me or need clarification, feel free to ask. Thank you.

 

[Guest]

The Status field is under "All Task Fields" so i'm
assuming it was default. why would it be different in
one folder than another?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

I'm afraid it doesn't make any sense to me. There's no guarantee that the
Status field in one folder will be the same as that in another -- they could
be two different types of folders.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Outlook sometimes lets you add fields to folder views even if they don't
apply to that particular folder -- e.g. adding the Status field form the All
Task Fields list to a mail folder.

Are both these folders tasks folders?

I didn't understand how attachments figure into this scenario.

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

 

[Guest]

When add a new mail item in that folder, and you have an
attachment - in my case, an excel file - that file
contains certain properties in it. When you open up the
file and go to properties, there's a custom tab where you
can put values in the certain fields. These fields can
then correspond to the fields in outlook and display the
values in outlook.

In my case, the excel file is, lets say a purchasing
order, and under properties, i set the value of status
as "ordered". Now, when i attach that file in a new mail
item and put it into a folder in outlook, if i add
the "status" field, the value or word "ordered" should
appear in outlook. That is basically what i want to
achieve. In some folders it works, but some, because the
format of the "status" field is "text with popup list"
instead of just "text", then the value or word "ordered"
does not appear.

Does this make more sense?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Yes, I think I get it now. Assuming I do, these would actually be two
different Status fields, one associated with the TaskItem object and limited
in the values that it supports and one an Office document property, a custom
propert I think. It's generally not a good idea to reuse field names that
Outlook is already using.

In any case, the properties of an attached file do not bubble up to the
properties of the containing message automatically, so accomplishing what
you would would involve code as well as a field.

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