Forms and voting buttons

[Jay]

I need to send internal e-mail related to conference. I want to include
voting buttons for conference duration, conference dates, and conference
agenda. I'm assuming a form is needed rather than voting buttons. I've
created form and published to my personal forms. When I send myself message
using form, buttons are not included. First, am I on the right track?
Second, any ideas what I need to do to the form or message?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Yes, you're on the right track. The form needs to be published to the Organizational Forms library on the Exchange server. Don't forget to design a read layout to go with your compose layout.

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

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

 

[Jay]

Ah yes, desgin a read layout.... Can you provide details?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Click the Edit Read Page button in design mode.

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

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

 

[Hollis Paul]

Ah yes, desgin a read layout.... Can you provide details?

To add to Sue's reply, the trick is to create all the common elements,
that you want to see in both the compose and the read form, then split
your form and create the parts that are unique to each form.
Otherwise, you will be back here asking why you can't see of the data,
from the compose form, that you expect to see in the read page, even
though you copied and pasted from one form to the other. When you copy
and paste between pages of the form, you will find that Outlook changes
the names of the second set of controls. That is because they are in
the same namespace, and two controls cannot have the same name. So, if
you look closely at the properties of the pasted controls, they will
have 1 appended to the original name. (Or, at least, that used to
happen.)

 

[Jay]

I've been able to create a page 2 form with 3 groups of radial voting
buttons. I've done this by creating custom fields (eg., days and date
represent 2 of the 3 groups). My intent is to limit e-mail recipient voters
to select 1 radial button within each group (eg., "2 days" or "3 days" for
the days custom field).

My problem is that when I select the date field with each associated radial
button, the days radial buttons are updated with the date field from the days
field. How do I "dis-associate" these custom fields?

 

[Jay]

OK, first, forgive me. This is my first attempt at Outlook forms.

Along with my other response to Sue regarding custom fields I'm having a
problem that page 2 shows up when I select Form>Run this form from the design
screen, but page 2 does not appear when I send e-mail to myself. What do I
need to do to correct this????

 

[Hollis Paul]

, but page 2 does not appear when I send e-mail to myself. What do I
need to do to correct this????

I think that when you are in Design mode, and on page 2, the forms menu
has a button labeled Display this Form. If it is not on the forms menu,
look for it on one of the other menus.

 

[Jay]

You're correct. However, I should have noted that this was already checked.
The tab is displayed as "Page 2", not "(Page 2)". Page 2 is displayed when I
select Forms>>Run this form. However, when I send test e-mail to myself,
only message page, not page 2, is displayed.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

You must publish the form to your Personal Forms library with the "send form definition with item" box not checked.

--
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]]

I think you mean option buttons, not voting buttons, which are an Outlook-specific feature. Put each option button group into its own frame.

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

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

 

[Hollis Paul]

You're correct. However, I should have noted that this was already checked.
The tab is displayed as "Page 2", not "(Page 2)". Page 2 is displayed when I
select Forms>>Run this form. However, when I send test e-mail to myself,
only message page, not page 2, is displayed.

This is beginning to sound like you have a one-offed form. To check if this is
so, open your test message, choose Tools->Forms->Design this form. When it
opens, go to the All Fields page and see what it says in the MessageID field.
If it has your custom form name at the end of the string, then something is
wrong with your design, but your form is not one-offed and unusable.

If it is not one offed, then the question is, are you working in a split form,
with a compose form and a read form? And if yes, did you design a read form?

 

[Jay]

Well, I think you're onto the correct solution. I saw the one-off comment on
some MSDN documentation. Problem is - when I go to the (All Fields) page, I
don' see the MessageID field. I've reviewed all entries in all Select from
fields, but no MessageID. Any ideas?

 

[Hollis Paul]

I've reviewed all entries in all Select from
fields, but no MessageID. Any ideas?

I am sorry. I mis-remembered the name. It actually is "Message
Class", you want to select the All Mail fields when you display the
fields on the page. It should begin with Ipm.Note.(your form name
here). If it is just Ipm.Note, then it is one-offed.

 

[Jay]

Thanks, your suspicion is correct - it's a one-off. I've attempted to
publish using another name to create new non on-off form. However, not
working. How do I make non one-off?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Makes sure that you do not check the "send form definition with item" box on the (Properties) page in design mode.

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

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

 

[Hollis Paul]

Thanks, your suspicion is correct - it's a one-off. I've attempted to
publish using another name to create new non on-off form. However, not
working. How do I make non one-off?

Sue has pointed out the most common error, e.g., Checking the "send form
def with message" button, but if that is not it, then you will have to
back out to a working earlier version of the form, and then rebuild it in
tiny steps, publishing it with ever change, till you get to what is
causing the problem. Make sure that you publish with a name that includes
the version in the name--myFormName_VerNNN--so you do not run into the
forms cache problems. Also, keep at least three versions of the form,
preferably published to separate places, so you do always have something
to fall back upon.

Designing custom forms is risky, with lots of things causing problems.

 

[Jay]

Well, I've create new form and published. New form is not one-off. I've
also turned off the separate read layout option. However, I still have same
problem - I can view my custom fields when I send e-mail to myself, but
cannot when I read the same e-mail. Can I e-mail you these forms? I'm about
to throw in the towel on Outlook forms.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

"read the same e-mail" where? It's not clear what two scenarios you're trying to distinguish. In any case, both sender and recipient will need access to the published form definition.

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

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

 

[Jay]

I've created and published a new form with a few custom fields to my Personal
Forms Library using the Standards Form Library Message form as my starting
point. I've deselected the Separate Read Layout from the Form option. I've
also selected "Yes" when the message "If you intend to send this form to
other users, Outlook recommends that the "Save Form Definition with Item"
check box on the Properties tab be selected. This will ensure that users who
receive it will see your customized version of the form and not a standard
Outlook form. I then selected File, New, Choose Form, Personal Forms
Library, my form, and Open. I addressed this message which included my
custom fields To myself and selected Send. I do not see the custom fields
when I receive this message.