Autocomplete Suggesting Invalid Emails?

[Bob Kennedy]

Now that Outlook supports the side-preview pane, I've finally upgraded to
Outlook 2003 from Outlook Express.

I've run into a very strange behavior in Outlook using the email address
Auto-Complete feature. When I type a portion of a name, very old email
addresses pop up. I assumed that there was some trail of old email in my
system, so I diagnosed/debugged the problem as follows:

1. Checked to assure these email addresses didn't exist anywhere in my
"Contacts" folder, which is the designated folder for the OAB. They didn't.

2. Checked to assure I wasn't using any other directory service (assuring I was
using OAB, pointing to my Contacts folder alone, nothing else). This was the
case.

3. Checked in the Address Book to assure the search order is correct. It only
shows the "Contacts" folder - no other.

4. As a test, I deleted all contacts (after exporting to a backup location)
everywhere within Outlook. No contacts existed anywhere. Despite this, I was
still provided with strange emails as suggestions in my auto-complete dialog.

5. Another test, I removed all references to directory services (which was the
OAB entry, the only one I was using). Despite this, Outlook provided the same
erroneous data in the auto-complete dialog.

For example, if I type a name in the "To:" field, even with *zero* contacts
listed in my Outlook system and with *absolutely no directory service
providers*, I continue to receive email address suggestions in the "To" dialog.
Where are these coming from? How can I limit Outlook to suggest email addresses
that exist in the directory service folders/search list only? I only want
addresses suggested that are in the selected lists (my Contacts folder, a
corporate LDAP if I prefer, etc - no others that I cannot control).

Thank you in advance for any suggestions - and I'm sorry to have troubled
everyone -- I searched for a similar issue on the groups and couldn't locate
anything.

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

The entries are in your autocompletion cache (NK2 file) which ic created
from the messages you have sent. If you only want to use entries that exist
in your Contacts Folder(s), then use autoresolution, not autocompletion.

 

[Bob Kennedy]

The entries are in your autocompletion cache (NK2 file) which is created

from the messages you have sent. If you only want to use entries that exist
in your Contacts Folder(s), then use autoresolution, not autocompletion.

Thank you so much. Unforuntately, I can't determine how to use one without not
the other. Although I didn't know the difference until I read your email, I
looked into how to enable/disable each option, and realized that AutoCompletion
can be turned off by unchecking the option under Email Options > Advanced
Options. Unfortunately, with this option off, I don't appear to have my emails
addresses auto-completed from the contacts folder (which you're referring to as
AutoResolution).

Does a method exist to enable the AutoResolution while leaving AutoCompletion
off?

Thanks again!

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Autocompletion and autoresolution are two different features. Hers is a
pimer on the difference. Post back if you still have questions:

Autoresolution has been a feature in all versions of Outlook. Its purpose is
to resolve any name typed in the To: field of a new message to a valid
e-mail address. It searches all Outlook Contacts Folders that have been
enabled as email address books for potential matches and presents any
matches as potential recipients for the message. In the past, many users
have used autoresolution as a substitute for the autocompletion feature seen
in Outlook Express and other e-mail programs.

Outlook 2002 and 2003 added a true autocompletion feature to Outlook but
have also retained this earlier autoresolution feature. The combination of
these two features is awkward and can be confusing to novice users. Users
need to understand the differences between autoresolution and
autocompletion.

Autoresolution resolves the name you are typing in the To: field by
searching through your Contacts Folders to provide you with the correct
e-mail address. It is enabled by checking the box for "Automatic Name
checking" in "Advanced e-mail options." To use this feature, follow these
steps:
Open a new message.
In the To: field, type the first three letters of an e-mail address that is
stored in one of your contacts.
Tab or click out of the field or on the "Tools" menu, click "Check Name."
You can also use the "Check Name" toolbar button (the one that has a red
check mark and a picture of a person) or press CTRL+K.
If you have more than one listing matching the name you have typed, the name
you type will have a red wavy line below it. You can now right-click the
name and select the correct name from among the possibilities presented.
That choice will then be stored so that the next time you compose a message
using that name, the name will resolve automatically. You will notice,
however, that the name will now have a dashed green underline instead of a
solid underline just to let you know that other possible matches exist in
case you want to select another of the possible matches.
When you resolve a name in Outlook 97-2000, that information is stored in a
file with a "nick" extension so that name resolutions will be remembered
from one session to the next.

Autocompletion is a feature that is new in Outlook 2002 and 2003. As you
begin to type a name in the To: field , Outlook offers to complete the entry
based on addresses, aliases, or names from e-mail messages that you have
previously sent. Note that this feature starts functioning immediately after
you have typed the first three letters in the To: field and does not require
that you Tab out of the field or hit CTRK+K. Also note that it does not use
your Contacts Folder as its data source but rather a cache of information
Outlook creates as you actually send messages. At first, the feature may
appear not to be working since it takes a while for Outlook to build its
cache. The autocompletion feature is enabled by default when you install
Outlook 2002 or 2003, but you can disable it by clicking "Options" on the
"Tools" menu, clicking "E-mail Options" on the "Preferences" tab, and then
clicking "Advanced E-mail Options," then uncheck "Suggest names while
completing."

In Outlook 2002 and 2003, both autoresolution and autocompletion features
function side by side. Curiously, both features store their data in the same
file. The file now has an "NK2" extension. Because both features are usually
in play, it is easy to get confused as to whether you are using
autocompletion or autoresolution. Just remember that autocompletion is in
play as soon as you have typed 3 or more letters (or just 1 letter in
Outlook 2003) in the To: field and remains in play until you click out of
the field or expressly invoke autoresolution by one of the methods listed
above. As long as one of the names suggested by the autocompletion feature
remains highlighted in the To: field dropdown, tabbing or clicking out of
the field will select that name as the sending address. If autocompletion
finds no matches in its cache (and therefore suggests no names) or if your
typing restricts the list so that no entries remain, then autocompletion is
no longer in play and autoresolution will take over once you tab or click
out of the field. In Outlook 2003, you can also invoke autoresolution at any
time by hitting "Escape" while typing in the To: field. Once autocompletion
is no longer in play, then Outlook will try to resolve the name you enter
against your various Contacts Folders, but not against the autocompletion
cache.