Contact Phone Numbers need resetting

[keviom]

Hi,

I have a public contacts folder set up in outlook 2000. Unfortunately the
phone numbers were typed in the following format + 1 - 232 - 67890 (spaces
and dashes as shown). We have now upgraded to outlook 2003 and now when we
add new contacts the phone number format is set to +1 232 - 6789, even though
we type in the format originally used (BTW the contacts form is moified which
stops the numbers being underlined for some reason). The problem I have is
that the 1300+ contacts that where already there need changing to match the
new format. I have tried changing and reseting the Dialing properties to
another country and back to UK, and exporting to PST file and re-importing,
but no luck.

Does anyone know how to automatically reset the existing phone numbers to
the new format please.

Thanks

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

How Outlook masks phone numbers is hard coded and cannot be changed. You
might ask in a programming group whether Ken Slovak or any of the other ISV
programmers has developed code to do this.

 

[keviom]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. I know it's hard coded for formating new numbers, I
just wondered if there was a way to get the system to reformat existing
numbers to the hardcoded standard. I don't fancy having to re-enter over 1300
entries just to get phone numbers in the same format.


Kevin

How Outlook masks phone numbers is hard coded and cannot be changed. You
might ask in a programming group whether Ken Slovak or any of the other ISV
programmers has developed code to do this.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

Hi,

I have a public contacts folder set up in outlook 2000. Unfortunately the
phone numbers were typed in the following format + 1 - 232 - 67890 (spaces
and dashes as shown). We have now upgraded to outlook 2003 and now when we
add new contacts the phone number format is set to +1 232 - 6789, even
though
we type in the format originally used (BTW the contacts form is moified
which
stops the numbers being underlined for some reason). The problem I have is
that the 1300+ contacts that where already there need changing to match
the
new format. I have tried changing and reseting the Dialing properties to
another country and back to UK, and exporting to PST file and
re-importing,
but no luck.

Does anyone know how to automatically reset the existing phone numbers to
the new format please.

Thanks

 

[Brian Tillman]

Thanks for the reply. I know it's hard coded for formating new
numbers, I just wondered if there was a way to get the system to
reformat existing numbers to the hardcoded standard. I don't fancy
having to re-enter over 1300 entries just to get phone numbers in the
same format.

There are a number of third-party tools that can do the job. Start here:
http://www.slipstick.com/addins/contacts_entry.asp