how do i change phone number formats in outlook 2003?

[andrewbuilder]

Different countries and different people all have different ways they format
phone numbers. For example in Australia, we have standard phone and fax
number formats (02) 9999 9999 where 02 is the area code for New South Wales
(state), mobile (cell phone) format 0418 999 999, and information and other
formats 1300 999 999, 1800 999 999, 199 9999, 131 999, etc. With the
phone/fax numbers and mobile numbers we drop the preceding 0 to access
international (eg. +61 418 999 999, or +61 2 9999 9999). MS Outlook 2003
seems to have no flexibility to set up either different standard formats for
a country, nor does it seem to offer any user programmability in this area.
This is annoying, especially when using MS Outlook with MS Mobile 5.0, as
formats get applied in Outlook but not in Mobile 5.0 (ps I prefer the no
format option of Windows Mobile 5.0 to the inadequate formatting of MS
Outlook). Our mobile numbers end up (04) 1899 9999! Please offer assistance
with this, or else lobby MS to incorporate phone number formatting at some
level? Come to think of it, I use user designed functions / VBA code in MS
Access to format numbers, can we do the same in MS Outlook?

 

[homeLAN]

Outlook formats phone numbers correctly as long as you have set up your
Windows dialing properties correctly.

Your examples are incorrect. Australian area codes are one-digit:
http://tinyurl.com/mp9nz
The area code for New South Wales is 2, not 02. The leading zero is a
dialing prefix, and is not part of the phone number. It should not be
included in the phone number.

If you format your phone numbers properly:
+61 (a) nnnnnnnn
they will get synched correctly to Windows Mobile.

 

[Saboath]

Andrew,

I am a fellow Australian having the same problem with you, I do not want my
phone numbers displayed as (99) 9999-9999 and I espeically dont want mobile
numbers displayed this way.

The way I found around it was to change the country region in the dialing
rules from Australia to Canada.

This seems to fix the problem and I can display my contacts as 99 9999 9999
and mobile numbers as 9999 999 999 the way I like it.

I am not sure of any other side affects of this change yet though..

Good luck.

Saboath.

 

[andrewbuilder]

thanks homeLAN, very helpful, will try to make the change and see how it
goes...

 

[mike oz]

I am also in Australia.
I want to enter 1800 1234 5678 and leave it like that - drives me nuts when
it changes it to (18) 00 etc - likewise I enter some numbers which include
codes to dialin to get me past an automated system and the added formatting
messes it up.

How do I turn automation off.
I want my pc to serve me - to do as I say and thats all - or is that
impossible - do I have to fold and fit in with it?

 

[Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]]

Formatting of phone numbers is hard coded in Outlook. There is usually no
need to change it if you have configured your dialing rules correctly.

 

[Australdale]

Formatting of phone numbers is hard coded in Outlook. There is usually no
need to change it if you have configured your dialing rules correctly.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]

I am also in Australia.
I want to enter 1800 1234 5678 and leave it like that - drives me nuts
when
it changes it to (18) 00 etc - likewise I enter some numbers which include
codes to dialin to get me past an automated system and the added
formatting
messes it up.

How do I turn automation off.
I want my pc to serve me - to do as I say and thats all - or is that
impossible - do I have to fold and fit in with it?