Categories in Outlook 2007

[Chaplain Doug]

Outlook 2007. We have out Outlook shared contacts managed by Exchange
Server. With Outlook 2003, we were able to create categories for contacts
and everyone else who had access to the shared contacts would see any
categories we had created. Thus, when a new contact was created, we could
flag them into any of the categories that had been created.

Now with Outlook 2007, the categories appear to be local to each user. When
we bring up the contacts that we set up in Outlook 2003/Exchange server, we
see them in the categories we created under Outlook 2003. However, when we
select the "Categorize" icon to try to recatagorize a person, none of the
categories we set up under Outlook 2003/Exchange appear as choices, except
the category they are currently in. This category shows up in the
color-coded list as white and says, (Not in Master list).

How can we get our cetegories back to being globally available in our shared
contacts under Outlook 2007? Thank you for any help.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

The master category list has *always* been specific to each user. What's changed in Outlook 2007 is that they are now stored in the mailbox -- and so are always availabe to the user, not matter where the mailbox is accessed from -- instead of being stored in the Windows registry.

categories we set up under Outlook 2003/Exchange

No version of Outlook has ever had a built-in feature to set something like this up. Maybe you're using a custom form with a category restriction? If so, and if the form isn't working the way it used to, have the form's designer post details in the microsoft.public.outlook.program_forms newsgroup.

Same thing if you were using an add-in to manage categories. The add-in's developer probably would need to adapt it to Outlook 2007.

In the meantime, people can add the categories they need to their personal master category lists. IIRC, the Office Resource Kit tools can also help with this.

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

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

 

[Chaplain Doug]

Dear Sue:

Please excuse any typos as my index finger has been in a splint for a while
and is not working quite up to speed. My question would be then, "Can a
person populate their local category list from the list of categories already
assigned to our contacts?" We have about a dozen categories already in place
and it would be nice if each of our users did not have to recreate the same
set of categories. Also, in our contact form under Outlook 2003 (I designed
it) there was a slot on the "General" tab for category or categories for the
contact. I have not changed the form, but now the category slot does not
appear. Why? Has this slot (text box) been replaced by the "Categorize"
icon? Thanks for the help.
--
Dr. Doug Pruiett
Good News Jail & Prison Ministry
www.goodnewsjail.org

The master category list has *always* been specific to each user. What's changed in Outlook 2007 is that they are now stored in the mailbox -- and so are always availabe to the user, not matter where the mailbox is accessed from -- instead of being stored in the Windows registry.

categories we set up under Outlook 2003/Exchange

No version of Outlook has ever had a built-in feature to set something like this up. Maybe you're using a custom form with a category restriction? If so, and if the form isn't working the way it used to, have the form's designer post details in the microsoft.public.outlook.program_forms newsgroup.

Same thing if you were using an add-in to manage categories. The add-in's developer probably would need to adapt it to Outlook 2007.

In the meantime, people can add the categories they need to their personal master category lists. IIRC, the Office Resource Kit tools can also help with this.

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

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

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

"Can a

person populate their local category list from the list of categories already
assigned to our contacts?"

From the categories assigned to their own contacts, yes. In fact, Outlook does that automatically (and can also do it on demand).

From the categories assigned to "our" contacts, where I assume you mean contacts in public or shared folders, no. For that purpose, you can deploy contacts with GPO; see http://technet2.microsoft.com/Offic...496f-4b05-99fb-14d377550a401033.mspx?mfr=true

Also, in our contact form under Outlook 2003 (I designed
it) there was a slot on the "General" tab for category or categories for the
contact. I have not changed the form, but now the category slot does not
appear. Why? Has this slot (text box) been replaced by the "Categorize"
icon?

Yes, the Categories button on the ribbon replaces the box and button on previous versions. If you haven't customized the General page of the contact form, you should also see a colored bar across the top for categories assigned.

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

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

Dear Sue:

Please excuse any typos as my index finger has been in a splint for a while
and is not working quite up to speed. My question would be then, "Can a
person populate their local category list from the list of categories already
assigned to our contacts?" We have about a dozen categories already in place
and it would be nice if each of our users did not have to recreate the same
set of categories. Also, in our contact form under Outlook 2003 (I designed
it) there was a slot on the "General" tab for category or categories for the
contact. I have not changed the form, but now the category slot does not
appear. Why? Has this slot (text box) been replaced by the "Categorize"
icon? Thanks for the help.
--
Dr. Doug Pruiett
Good News Jail & Prison Ministry
www.goodnewsjail.org