Again, the blank template issue...

[Bob Raymond Kars]

Everybody,

Sorry for asking this question again, but I've read through all the
suggestions and pages that are posted and I just don't get it.

I made a form, with two tabs: message and form. For the message, there is a
separate compose page and a seperate read page, but for the form I created I
did not split this up. I saved it with 'Send form definition with item'
checked, because I want this template to be available as *.oft on the
intranet. So to be clear: I just want to make a form, save it as a template
on the internet for other users to fill this form in and mail it to others.
So no publishing and such - I thought it should be an one-off then, but it
doesn't seem to work!
Though, when saved on a network drive, I can open it correctly and when I go
to 'design this form', I see everything. When someone else opens it, the form
doesn't appear at all, not even when going to design mode - while I saved the
form definition.

I went to many pages and
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa192832(office.11).aspx states:

In most situations, the form definition should not be stored within the
item. The most common exception to this is a custom e-mail message form. If
you are using Microsoft Exchange Server, you can publish a custom e-mail
message form to the Organizational Forms Library so that it will always be
available for use by everyone within the organization. In this way, you would
not have to store the form definition within the item. However, if you are
not using Exchange server, or if you are sending the form to another
organization where the form is not available, you should select the Send form
definition with item check box on the Properties page of the form when in
design mode. This will ensure that the recipient will be able to view the
mail message with the custom form.

Note If the recipient is still unable to view your custom form, be sure
that you customized or disabled the Read page of the custom e-mail form.



Ok, so how do I 'customize' or 'disable' the read page of my form? Save the
'edit compose page' and delete everything in 'edit read page'? What's the
deal?
I also read something about sending it as rtf... I don't see this option
anywhere?!

If somebody can explain this problem in a most simplistic way (like step by
step what to do), because for example http://support.microsoft.com/?id=907985
is not clearing anything up for me. Nobody at my company seems to know what
the issue is.

Thanks a lot!

Bob Raymond Kars

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

As the article at http://support.microsoft.com/?id=907985 explains, the technique you want to use is blocked in Outlook 2003 SP2. This is for security reasons. The registry change described in the article will cause Outlook to revert to the older, less secure behavior, but you'd have to make that change happen for each person using the form -- unlikely in most organizations.

Furthermore, the technique you describe is not available at all in Outlook 2007.

To use a message to gather data, either the person conducting the survey needs Office Professional 2007, or you need to be able to publish a form to the Organizational Forms library on the Exchange server. InfoPath would be another approach, as would an Intranet web page form.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

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

 

[Bob Raymond Kars]

So I was right when I told the manager of F&A that this kind of form is no
longer possible, because of security updates in Outlook 2003 SP2. The strange
thing is, that older forms (one made at the sixth of june 2006) does work the
old way. I guess I'll give up, since editing the registry of every user just
to use a template made in Outlook is way over the top. It's easier to just
make a standard excelsheet for this case, which is then copy pasted into the
message.

Thanks for your fast and clear answer, I'll take your reply to our ICT
department as feedback.

Thanks Sue!

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Yes, you were absolutely right on that issue. Forms used before SP2 was installed may continue to work at least partially, but only for users who used them before SP2.

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

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