A
andrew.solmssen
Hi all - I have an odd problem with Entourage that I've been able to
reproduce in both 2004 and 2008. It's an issue with Contact sort by
name.
The default behavior for Name sort order is something like this - sort
by last name, then first name, if neither exists, use company name.
This makes a list look like this:
Sam Alpha
Bravo Inc.
Ellen Charlie
Nicky Charlie
Delta Corp.
Mike Echo
Now lets say I open Delta Corp. and accidentally add a character in
the first name field and then delete it, then save the record. Now the
records will sort like this:
Delta Corp.
Sam Alpha
Bravo Inc.
Ellen Charlie
Nicky Charlie
Mike Echo
If I drag that Delta Corp record to the desktop, making a .vcf file
out of it, and then delete the record and drag in the .vcf file,
normal sort order is restored.
What appears to me to be happening is that the entry of any character
into the name field sets a flag that says to the sorting function "use
the name field to sort this record", but that emptying the name fields
does not unset that flag, so these records, which now have a null
name, sort to the top. If you have several records like this, you'll
wind up with a contact list like this:
Alpha Corp.
Papa Company
Zulu Inc.
Sam Alpha
Bravo Inc.
Ellen Charlie
Nicky Charlie
Mike Echo
Records with a company name only, but that at some point had data in a
name field, sort to the top in order, and then the remaining records
sort properly. It's been a real hassle for one of my clients. Any
thoughts? If there's an MVP listening here, is there an appropriate
way to submit this as a bug? Looking forward to any comments...
reproduce in both 2004 and 2008. It's an issue with Contact sort by
name.
The default behavior for Name sort order is something like this - sort
by last name, then first name, if neither exists, use company name.
This makes a list look like this:
Sam Alpha
Bravo Inc.
Ellen Charlie
Nicky Charlie
Delta Corp.
Mike Echo
Now lets say I open Delta Corp. and accidentally add a character in
the first name field and then delete it, then save the record. Now the
records will sort like this:
Delta Corp.
Sam Alpha
Bravo Inc.
Ellen Charlie
Nicky Charlie
Mike Echo
If I drag that Delta Corp record to the desktop, making a .vcf file
out of it, and then delete the record and drag in the .vcf file,
normal sort order is restored.
What appears to me to be happening is that the entry of any character
into the name field sets a flag that says to the sorting function "use
the name field to sort this record", but that emptying the name fields
does not unset that flag, so these records, which now have a null
name, sort to the top. If you have several records like this, you'll
wind up with a contact list like this:
Alpha Corp.
Papa Company
Zulu Inc.
Sam Alpha
Bravo Inc.
Ellen Charlie
Nicky Charlie
Mike Echo
Records with a company name only, but that at some point had data in a
name field, sort to the top in order, and then the remaining records
sort properly. It's been a real hassle for one of my clients. Any
thoughts? If there's an MVP listening here, is there an appropriate
way to submit this as a bug? Looking forward to any comments...