Note's font and File As order...

Alphonse · External Since: Aug 01, 2007 Posts: 23

Hi,
Here's my situation:
In order to update and clean up my contacts I exported them as *.xls. After
all was done, and assuring myself that the font in the XL file was Verdana,
as it was in the Notes of each contact by default, I imported them back,
overwriting the old ones. The results were all OK except that those contacts
with text in the Notes field now have Courier font instead of Verdana, but
blank Note fields have retained the Verdana font. Also, the File As field
is now ordered by "Last, First", even though the Options' setting for
Outlook is set to "First Last", which is how it was.

My questions:
Is there a better way of importing contacts that would allow for the Outlook
defaults to remain true? Else, is there a way that I can correct these to
glitches as a setting or batch correction or something besides manually,
individually?

I am not a programmer, so I do not know VBA or scripting, and the Contacts
form used is the unmodified original OL XP 2002 form.
--
Cheers,
Alphonse

Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook] · External Since: Feb 11, 2005 Posts: 21627

When you import contacts, you're subject to Outlook's default behaviors. Formatting of contact bodies is never imported, and the File As field seems to have a mind of its own. You'll need to fix each contact manually, given that you're not interested in writing code.

Maybe it's time to think about whether exporting was a good idea in the first place. Only you know, of course, what "clean up" was necessary.

Also note that this issue has nothing to do with Outlook custom forms, which is the topic of this forum. The forum for contacts issues is microsoft.public.outlook.contacts.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Microsoft Outlook 2007 Programming:
Jumpstart for Power Users and Administrators
http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54

"Alphonse" <alone.RemoveThis@home.com> wrote in message news:elBPTFd1HHA.3760@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Hi,
> Here's my situation:
> In order to update and clean up my contacts I exported them as *.xls. After
> all was done, and assuring myself that the font in the XL file was Verdana,
> as it was in the Notes of each contact by default, I imported them back,
> overwriting the old ones. The results were all OK except that those contacts
> with text in the Notes field now have Courier font instead of Verdana, but
> blank Note fields have retained the Verdana font. Also, the File As field
> is now ordered by "Last, First", even though the Options' setting for
> Outlook is set to "First Last", which is how it was.
>
> My questions:
> Is there a better way of importing contacts that would allow for the Outlook
> defaults to remain true? Else, is there a way that I can correct these to
> glitches as a setting or batch correction or something besides manually,
> individually?
>
> I am not a programmer, so I do not know VBA or scripting, and the Contacts
> form used is the unmodified original OL XP 2002 form.
> --
> Cheers,
> Alphonse
>
>
>
>

Alphonse · External Since: Aug 01, 2007 Posts: 23

Hello Sue,
It's not that I am not interested in writing code, it's that I do not know
where to begin. The "clean up" was erasing residues of addresses, like
countries, phone numbers that are in fields that do not usually display in
the default forms, and editing Notes and Emails without having to open each
individual contact.

I thought exporting was a good idea, because I never imagined that some
things have "minds of their own" or that out-of-the-box defaults have
precedence over program settings. Besides, since I don't recall having
changed nor find where to change the default font for the Notes section, I
thought that Verdana was it; I wouldn't mind Courier if it was global, but
now it's about a 50/50 thing in several hundred contacts.

Well, thank you for the info, and I guess I will be shuffling along to the
Contacts forum. Is that the best place to ask about a possible script, or do
you think I should be looking for a non-script solution?
--
Cheers,
Alphonse

"Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" <suemvp.DeleteThis@outlookcode.com> wrote in message
news:ulyk6Xd1HHA.4476@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
When you import contacts, you're subject to Outlook's default behaviors.
Formatting of contact bodies is never imported, and the File As field seems
to have a mind of its own. You'll need to fix each contact manually, given
that you're not interested in writing code.

Maybe it's time to think about whether exporting was a good idea in the
first place. Only you know, of course, what "clean up" was necessary.

Also note that this issue has nothing to do with Outlook custom forms, which
is the topic of this forum. The forum for contacts issues is
microsoft.public.outlook.contacts.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Microsoft Outlook 2007 Programming:
Jumpstart for Power Users and Administrators
http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54

"Alphonse" <alone.DeleteThis@home.com> wrote in message
news:elBPTFd1HHA.3760@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Hi,
> Here's my situation:
> In order to update and clean up my contacts I exported them as *.xls.
> After
> all was done, and assuring myself that the font in the XL file was
> Verdana,
> as it was in the Notes of each contact by default, I imported them back,
> overwriting the old ones. The results were all OK except that those
> contacts
> with text in the Notes field now have Courier font instead of Verdana, but
> blank Note fields have retained the Verdana font. Also, the File As field
> is now ordered by "Last, First", even though the Options' setting for
> Outlook is set to "First Last", which is how it was.
>
> My questions:
> Is there a better way of importing contacts that would allow for the
> Outlook
> defaults to remain true? Else, is there a way that I can correct these to
> glitches as a setting or batch correction or something besides manually,
> individually?
>
> I am not a programmer, so I do not know VBA or scripting, and the
> Contacts
> form used is the unmodified original OL XP 2002 form.
> --
> Cheers,
> Alphonse
>
>
>
>

Alphonse · External Since: Aug 01, 2007 Posts: 23

Hello Sue,
I have found a solution to both of my problems; the first with a 3rd party
program, ChangeNames, found here,
http://www.outlook-stuff.com/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_deta.../gid,1/
(there is also EditContacts found here,
http://www.outlook-stuff.com/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_deta.../gid,3/ )
and the second changing a little setting in Outlook XP itself, thanks to a
similar solution you gave someone else: in Tools, Options, Mail Formats,
Fonts..., "When composing and reading plain text:" By default this field
has Courier New. Realizing that Notes is plain text and the fact that you
told someone that this is the place to change the font for the Notes field,
I changed it to Verdana, re-imported contacts, and Eureka!
--
Cheers,
Alphonse

"Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" <suemvp.DeleteThis@outlookcode.com> wrote in message
news:ulyk6Xd1HHA.4476@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
When you import contacts, you're subject to Outlook's default behaviors.
Formatting of contact bodies is never imported, and the File As field seems
to have a mind of its own. You'll need to fix each contact manually, given
that you're not interested in writing code.

Maybe it's time to think about whether exporting was a good idea in the
first place. Only you know, of course, what "clean up" was necessary.

Also note that this issue has nothing to do with Outlook custom forms, which
is the topic of this forum. The forum for contacts issues is
microsoft.public.outlook.contacts.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Microsoft Outlook 2007 Programming:
Jumpstart for Power Users and Administrators
http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54

"Alphonse" <alone.DeleteThis@home.com> wrote in message
news:elBPTFd1HHA.3760@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl...
> Hi,
> Here's my situation:
> In order to update and clean up my contacts I exported them as *.xls.
> After
> all was done, and assuring myself that the font in the XL file was
> Verdana,
> as it was in the Notes of each contact by default, I imported them back,
> overwriting the old ones. The results were all OK except that those
> contacts
> with text in the Notes field now have Courier font instead of Verdana, but
> blank Note fields have retained the Verdana font. Also, the File As field
> is now ordered by "Last, First", even though the Options' setting for
> Outlook is set to "First Last", which is how it was.
>
> My questions:
> Is there a better way of importing contacts that would allow for the
> Outlook
> defaults to remain true? Else, is there a way that I can correct these to
> glitches as a setting or batch correction or something besides manually,
> individually?
>
> I am not a programmer, so I do not know VBA or scripting, and the
> Contacts
> form used is the unmodified original OL XP 2002 form.
> --
> Cheers,
> Alphonse