How do I search user-defined fields in Outlook in the "Look For"?

[Guest]

I added a couple of user-defined fields in Outlook and i want to be able to
search those fields when I type a name or project in the "Look For" field. I
have the "Search all Fields" option checked under options... What am I
missing?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

You're missing nothing. Outlook simply doesn't do what you want. You can use the Advanced Find dialog to search custom fields.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

You're missing nothing. Outlook simply doesn't do what you want. You can use the Advanced Find dialog to search custom fields.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

You're missing nothing. Outlook simply doesn't do what you want. You can use the Advanced Find dialog to search custom fields.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

When trying to do an advanced search on a user-defined field, I get the
following error message:
"Query contains fields that do not apply to the current folders. These
fields were defined outside the current folders. Some of the criteria you
specified will be ignored. Remove any custom or user-defined fields from
your query."
What's wrong? or is this just another thing that Outlook won;t do?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

"Query contains fields that do not apply to the current folders. These

fields were defined outside the current folders. Some of the criteria you
specified will be ignored. Remove any custom or user-defined fields from
your query."

Outlook has always required that custom fields be defined in the folder(s) being searched. If you don't see them in the "user-defined fields in folder" list, you can't search them.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

As far as I can tell, the user-defined field in question IS defined in the
folder. I can open any contact in this folder and the UDF in question
appears and has data in it. furthermore, the UDF in question is selectable in
the advanced query. Nevertheless, the search yields only the error message
below. Is there something else meant by "defined in the folder" other than
having the UDF appear in each contact in the folder???

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Did you specifically look under "user-defined fields in folder"? Unless the field appears there, it won't be available to the Advanced Find feature. It sounded like you were searching multiple folders. If so, is the field defined in each folder.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much for your reply. However, could you be more specific about
how to do the tings you advise - like "look under user-defined fields in the
folder"? There are several places where UDF appears. If I go to - view,
arrange by, current view, customize current view, fields, - then I get a
window with two columns. The column on the right is labeled "show these
fields in this order". My UDF appears in that list (because I put it there).
Does that mean this UDF is "defined in this folder" or is there some other
arcane place I need to look? Thanks.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

The Customize Current View | Fields dialog should show you the folder's list of fields, once you change the selection to User-defined Fields in Folder. Best way is to do this on a new view that hasn't been customized so that you can see for certain which fields are actually defined in the folder.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

Don't you read the question????? The folder's list of fields DOES show the
UDF in question. Also an advanced search DOES show the UDF in question but
WILL NOT perform the search but gives the error message that I provided at
the beginning of this email thread. Is it a known feature of Outlook that it
CAN NOT use a UDF in an advanced search???

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Yes, I read the question and thought I responded to your query on how to see which fields are listed in the User-defined Fields in Folder list. Just because a field is in the list of fields in the current view doesn't necessarily mean that it's in the list of User-defined Fields in Folder. (I can think of a couple of possible ways to get exceptions.) Therefore, I gave a complete method for seeing exactly which fields on in the User-defined Fields in Folder list.

But back to your original problem. What you haven't said much about is the scope of this particular search. Is it searching just one folder or multiple folders?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[Guest]

I'm sorry but if you explained how to "see exactly which fields are in the
User-defined Fields in Folder list", I didn't understand it. Could you
please list the series of menu clicks that lead to that list. Outlook is
VERY confusing in this regard, showing UDFs in various places that imply to
me that my UDF IS in the folder list.
I am trying to search one folder that contains several hundred contacts.
The UDF is a numeric field and I want to search for contacts where the UDF
number is greater than a specified limit.
Since it appears to me that my UDF IS in the folder list and the search
yields an error message about removing UDF from the search, it seems to me
that Outlook is not capable of searching on a UDF. I am trying to either
confirm that so I can give up or find out how to do it. Thanks.