Automatically Update Changes to All Contacts Folders

[D.Woodum]

I want the changes I make to a contact in one folder to automatically update
to all other Contacts folders in which that same contact name appears.

Here's a hypothetical example. I have 4 Contacts folders: the main Contacts
folder and 3 others which we'll call ABC Company, Potential Vendors, and L.A.
Division. (I use the main Contacts folder to include all my contacts.) John
Doe happens to be listed as a contact in all 4 of these Contacts folders. I
change John's phone number in the Potential Vendors folder.

Now how can I make this change update to all of the other 3 folders to show
John Doe's corrected phone number?

Note: I do not want to just categorize these contacts within the one main
Contacts folder.

I have been needing to do this at work and at home so that using multiple
contacts folders is more efficient. Your suggestions are appreciated!

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

Not possible without writing some code. Changes to one folder do not propagate to any other folder. See http://www.outlookcode.com to see if someone has already donated code to do this. Or ask there.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, D.Woodum asked:

| I want the changes I make to a contact in one folder to automatically
| update to all other Contacts folders in which that same contact name
| appears.
|
| Here's a hypothetical example. I have 4 Contacts folders: the main
| Contacts folder and 3 others which we'll call ABC Company, Potential
| Vendors, and L.A. Division. (I use the main Contacts folder to
| include all my contacts.) John Doe happens to be listed as a contact
| in all 4 of these Contacts folders. I change John's phone number in
| the Potential Vendors folder.
|
| Now how can I make this change update to all of the other 3 folders
| to show John Doe's corrected phone number?
|
| Note: I do not want to just categorize these contacts within the one
| main Contacts folder.
|
| I have been needing to do this at work and at home so that using
| multiple contacts folders is more efficient. Your suggestions are
| appreciated!

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

To which I would only add that it makes sense to learn how Outlook provides
for this capability before committing yourself to a grouping method for
which Outlook cannot provide the support you need. Outlook's features are
not a secret.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
Not possible without writing some code. Changes to one folder do not
propagate to any other folder. See http://www.outlookcode.com to see if
someone has already donated code to do this. Or ask there.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, D.Woodum asked:

| I want the changes I make to a contact in one folder to automatically
| update to all other Contacts folders in which that same contact name
| appears.
|
| Here's a hypothetical example. I have 4 Contacts folders: the main
| Contacts folder and 3 others which we'll call ABC Company, Potential
| Vendors, and L.A. Division. (I use the main Contacts folder to
| include all my contacts.) John Doe happens to be listed as a contact
| in all 4 of these Contacts folders. I change John's phone number in
| the Potential Vendors folder.
|
| Now how can I make this change update to all of the other 3 folders
| to show John Doe's corrected phone number?
|
| Note: I do not want to just categorize these contacts within the one
| main Contacts folder.
|
| I have been needing to do this at work and at home so that using
| multiple contacts folders is more efficient. Your suggestions are
| appreciated!

 

[Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]]

And chalk one more up for using categories rather than Distribution Lists or separate contacts folders.

--
Milly Staples [MVP - Outlook]

Post all replies to the group to keep the discussion intact. All
unsolicited mail sent to my personal account will be deleted without
reading.

After furious head scratching, Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook] asked:

| To which I would only add that it makes sense to learn how Outlook
| provides for this capability before committing yourself to a grouping
| method for which Outlook cannot provide the support you need.
| Outlook's features are not a secret.
|
|| I want the changes I make to a contact in one folder to automatically
|| update to all other Contacts folders in which that same contact name
|| appears.
||
|| Here's a hypothetical example. I have 4 Contacts folders: the main
|| Contacts folder and 3 others which we'll call ABC Company, Potential
|| Vendors, and L.A. Division. (I use the main Contacts folder to
|| include all my contacts.) John Doe happens to be listed as a contact
|| in all 4 of these Contacts folders. I change John's phone number in
|| the Potential Vendors folder.
||
|| Now how can I make this change update to all of the other 3 folders
|| to show John Doe's corrected phone number?
||
|| Note: I do not want to just categorize these contacts within the one
|| main Contacts folder.
||
|| I have been needing to do this at work and at home so that using
|| multiple contacts folders is more efficient. Your suggestions are
|| appreciated!

 

[Karl Timmermans]

To which I would further add that maintaining multiple copies of the same
data breaks every rule in the book as far as data management goes and is a
recipe for disaster long-term. Categories in a single folder would be a far
superior solution to this in terms of an Outlook solution. Outlook is not a
database and there is absolutely nothing in Outlook itself that allows
absolute unique identification of a contact between folders. There is also
absolutely no way to enforce "no duplicates" in any given folder making any
custom code "highly custom" to deal with all the potential scenarios that
may occur.

Karl
___________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - Importer 1.3 / DataPorter 2.0 / Exporter
"Power contact importers/exporters for MS Outlook '2000/2007"
http://www.contactgenie.com