field chooser: deleting fields

[Beryl]

I created new fields in several non-user-field columns (such as Contact
fields). But now I can't delete them and I have too many with the same name
that don't work. The "delete" button for fields in the Field Chooser is only
working with the User Fields. I have scoured the web and Help resources.
Nothing. Does anyone know how to delete fields from Field Chooser? Do the
fields actually "live" somewhere on the computer?

 

[Diane Poremsky [MVP]]

Did you create them in a view or on a custom form?

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[Karl Timmermans]

Could you perhaps be a tad more specific on what you did vis-a-vis "I
created new fields in several non-user-field columns"? You can't delete
standard Outlook fields and not at all sure what you are referring to as
"non-user-field columns".

Assuming that you are referring to a custom form, if you create a new
contact folder and make this custom form the default for the folder, what
exactly appears in the "User-defined fields in this item" when you create a
new contact? How is this list different from the list of fields in the
field chooser when <designing> the form after opening a new contact in this
new folder. There is a very specific reason that the questions are framed
in terms of creating a "new" contact folder so please don't provide the
info from any existing contact folder where design activities may have
already taken place.

Also
- Outlook version?
- where is the custom form published? (folder, personal lib or Exch Org)

Karl
--
____________________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - QuickPort/DataPort/Exporter/Toolkit/Duplicate Contact Mgr
"Contact import/export/data management tools for Outlook '2000/2010"
http://www.contactgenie.com

 

[Beryl]

I'm sorry about the lack of info. I created a new form in my personal
library in Outlook Contacts. In it, I attempted to create a field called
"Source of Referral" which I had hoped would have a drop down list from which
you could select either one of several most likely referral sources or type
in one of your own. To set this up, I opened the form, from my personal
liabrary, went to TOOLS, FORMS, DESIGN THIS FORM. I then opened the Field
Chooser and opened the list of Fields available in FREQUENTLY USED FIELDS.

I then clicked on NEW to create a new field. My attempts to create the type
of field that did what I wanted went sour. I tried another NEW field with
other parameters which I was sure would work (HA!). I kept on and on, naming
them slightly differently (Referral Source, Source of Referral, Referral,
etc.) and, over time (several months) created the fields under (not just
FREQUENTLY USED FIELDS, but others as well, including the contact form
itself.

When I got something that worked, I found I had so many fields, in so many
places with such similar names, I wanted to delete everything except the one
that worked. Alas, the only ones I could delete (i.e. the word at the bottom
of the FIELD CHOOSER wasn't greyed out) was when I was looking at USER
FIELDS. So the question is: how can I delete the fields I created in other
areas, such as FREQUENTLY USED FIELDS or MISCELLANEOUS FIELDS (etc.) so they
aren't cluttering up my Field Chooser.

I hope this makes sense?

 

[Karl Timmermans]

Are you saying that when you added a new field when showing any of the
Field Chooser groups (i.e. Frequently used fields) - that the new field is
appearing in that list as well? If that's true then not something I've run
ever run across or seen. Those "field groups" are static and the only
groups that change are ones related to UDF in Folder and Item.

Creating new fields in form design mode is somewhat of a contorted topic -
suggest reading through these threads:

http://groups.google.com/group/micr..._forms/browse_thread/thread/853d79e90f6d47da#



http://groups.google.com/group/micr...aa0d?lnk=gst&q=custom+fields#3aaf0cda620aaa0d





In short....

#1 - Any new field added via Form Design is added to the form - where it
appears depends on if you're looking in the same folder used when the form
was designed versus a folder to which the form was published or otherwise
made the "default" for the folder
#2 - always delete any UDF from within Form design and not directly from
the Folder list

From historical observations of many custom form creations and having to
deal with resulting issues - would suggest that if you have had an endless
stream of modifications to the form - start over with a clean slate. If you
do that in the same contact folder where the original form was designed -
you will see all the UDF's created in the "User-defined fields in folder"
list for that folder - those belong to the original custom form as
described/summarized in the first thread above. Would further suggest that
you create a new contact folder used purely for "form design" and then
publish the form to the intended target folder or one of the forms libs
(Personal or Exch) as the need dictates avoiding everything described in
the threads above.

Finally, should always include the version of Outlook in use.

Karl

--
____________________________________________________________
Karl Timmermans - The Claxton Group
ContactGenie - QuickPort/DataPort/Exporter/Toolkit/Duplicate Contact Mgr
"Contact import/export/data management tools for Outlook '2000/2010"
http://www.contactgenie.com