User Defined Fields Question

[Guest]

I have a form that has data in "User Defined Fields in Folder",
created on the "All Fields tab". I then convert the message class of
this form and copy it to another folder.

If I add this field to the view I see the old data, however if I find
the field on the all fields tab of the contact I do not see the data.

Why is this and how can I resolve it?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

For best results, design the form so that the fields are part of the form,
not just defined in a folder. See http://www.outlookcode.com/d/fields.htm

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately I do not have that option. The form is a custom form but the
user defined fields are fields that were added by a user of the form. It is
not practical to add the fields to the form since they are unique for this
user and do not apply to all the other users of the form.

There has to be a solution to this issue outside of adding them to the form,
any ideas?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

That is the correct solution. They don't have to be visible on a form page,
but if you defined them only as "fields in folder," when you move the item
to another folder, the field won't be available to enter data (unless, of
course, you add the field to that other folder).

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

 

[Guest]

That is what I did and where my confusion lies. I did the following:
1) Copied the form to another folder and changed the message class
2) Added the user defned fields to the folder, openign the form and going to
the all fields tab and adding the field
3) Added those fields to the view, the data now shows in the view
4) Go into the form and go to the all fields tab and the fields show up but
the data is not show, it show a blank field.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

I wouldn't expect to see any data in the form itself. It's just a
layout/code template for creating individual items and generally won't
contain any data.

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

 

[Guest]

Ok, now I am confused. When I look at the item in the view that record shows
the data, yes when viewed on the form it does not. Also, if I change the
data on the form (all fields tab-UDF in folder) I now see the data in both
the form and the view and the data in the view for that record it replaced by
what I entered on the form.

What if I wrote a script to add the field to the form
(item.userproperties.add("UDFName",type)) then how could I grab the data that
I see in the view/folder for that item and initialize the form fields with
that value?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

You might want to edit the form to rebind the controls on the form to the
fields defined in the folder. (It's not entirely clear to me how you added
the fields that you see in the view. )
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

Could you be more specific on how to rebind the controls to the folder
fields.

BTW, the fields were added to the view by going to the original form (Before
moving) and adding them as new fields on the All Fields tab (they were added
to UDF in the folder), then after copying the form I add them to the view via
the field chooser.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Could you be more specific on how to rebind the controls to the folder

fields.

Right-click each control, choose Properties, and on the Value tab choose any
property different from what you have now. Then repeat, choose the desired
property from the User-Defined Fields in Folder list.

BTW, the fields were added to the view by going to the original form
(Before
moving) and adding them as new fields on the All Fields tab (they were
added
to UDF in the folder), then after copying the form I add them to the view
via
the field chooser.

You used the folder view's Field Chooser?

 

[Guest]

More details:

WIth OutlooSpy I see the following when the contact (in the new folder) is
selected:
* Select Contact and click on Item, then UserProperies-Browse,
Item-fieldName; it return successful but with a null
* Select the contact and click on IMessage and scroll the list and I see the
field and the correct value.

Therefore via the IMseeage I see the field and the correct value, yet via
the item I see only the field with a null value.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

I still would try modifying the form as I suggested earlier to rebind the
field to the form, not just the folder, by changing the binding on the form
controls. That should bring the fields defined in the folder and the fields
defined in the form/item into harmony.

Bottom line is that if the fields are not defined in the form, unexpected
behaviors can occur.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers