Changing Contact Defaults (Office 2000)

[Chuck Tucker]

The default Contact form has the address option set to Business whereas I use it primarily for personal addresses and would like the default set to Home. I've explored the Design a Form option under Tools by opening the Contact form. However, I find the design tool very confusing, and have not been able to change the default setting from Business to Home.

Any help/suggestion would be appreciated.

[JohnBF]

Chuck, does View | Current View | seelct the View | Modify | Fields | Add | Home Address | Move Up (& Remove | Business Address) do what you want?

[Chuck Tucker]

Hi John,

Unfortunately, there is no "Modify | Fields" option under View, Current View. The option I find under Current View is "Design Views" which brings up a list of all the available forms, one of which is the Contacts form. I can open the form in design view, but darned if I can figure out how to change the default option from Business to Home.

By the ways, I am using Outlook 2000.

[JohnBF]

Chuck, I left out a menu step, it should have been View | Current View | Define Views | select the View | Modify | Fields | Add | Home Address | Move Up (& Remove | Business Address).

However, on re-reading your original post, I'm not sure that does what you want. Are you looking to change the default dropdown as shown in the attached graphic?

[Chuck Tucker]

Hi John,

You got it exactly right. The default address is set to Business. So on just about all my addresses I first have to click on the down arrow and then select Home before entering an address. Half the time I forget and all my home addresses end up in the business column.

I would like to change the form design such that the drop down defaults to Home.

I've gotten into the design form bit, but I find the setup very confusing. I can't find out where the default address setting is defined. I tried selecting Properties of the default (business) control and changing it to Home; however, it then advises me that I need to "save it as" (or something similar to that), and I have no idea what that's about.

[sherylking]

I'm glad you asked this question -- I was just about to ask it myself! I hope someone posts an answer.

[JohnBF]

Chuck, I have no Forms Design experience, but, at your own risk <img src=/S/grin.gif border=0 alt=grin width=15 height=15>, try this. In Forms Design mode for the Contact Form, select then right-click the DropDown Arrow in question, select Properties | Value. At the bottom of the Value tab is a field called Initial Value, check the box, click on Edit, select Field | Address Fields | Home Address | OK Out, Save the Form. Due to my inexperience, there are two things I'm not clear on:

1. it appears that the text "Business" on that part of the Form is hardcoded text not tied programmatically to what is being displayed, it merely apes the standard default, so that needs to be changed, and ...
2. I don't know if the Form needs to be separately published.

[Chuck Tucker]

I tried your suggestion, saved the form as "My Contacts", but when I open the form it still defaults to "Business."

I think that what needs to be changed is the default setting in the drop-down arrow box -- However, I can't figure out how it is set up. In some ways the "design form" setup is similar to Access, VBA or VB, which I am familiar with; however, I still can't figure it out.

[unkamunka]

<img src=/S/2cents.gif border=0 alt=2cents width=15 height=15> You are actually choosing your Custom Form and not accepting the default when you add a new Contact?

[Chuck Tucker]

Hi again,

Normally I use the default Contacts form. I tried creating a new form by going into Tools | Forms | Design a Form. There I opened up the default Contacts form, made changes to it, and then did a Save As with the file name "My Contacts." However, the changes I had made didn't work, as the default address remained "Business" (as usual).

The problem is with the default or initial setting of the drop-down box that permits you to select "business" or "home" or "other."

Attached is what I've found so far. When in the design view, click on the "All Fields" tab then in the drop down box to the left select "All Contact Fields." The list shows a field called "Address Selector" and the default value is "Business". However, when I highlight that field I cannot make a change, and when I click on Properties a small dialog box pops up with everthing grayed out. Even so, the dialog box doesn't display the default value.

So that's as far as I have gotten. I think I'm up against a stone wall here.

[unkamunka]

It so happens that at the moment I don't have access to Outlook 2000 - and will not probably for several days. The machine I have has Outlook 2003 on WinXP, and I am logged on with full Administrative rights. On this set-up, I can edit the value given opposite Address Selector from Business to Home. The right-click behaviour, however, is identical to yours.

Let us see whether another Lounger can contribute. Presumably you are either logged on with full Administrator rights - or are using Win 98/ME?

[Chuck Tucker]

I'm getting a copy of Office 2003 pro this Thursday. So perhaps after I install it things will be different. In the meantime we'll just have to see if any other lounger can come up with a fix.