Outlook Calendar Form Reload?

[Aaron]

Hi there. Our company use a shared appointment calendar to schedule the production and delivery of our products. We use a custom form that obviously includes the 'Start' field to determine the delivery date. As we have different stages in manufacturing we would also like some more 'Due Dates'.

For example. If the job is due to be delivered on August 8th, we might want to ensure that 'Assembly' of the product is completed by August 5th. Therefore I would like an Assembly Due Date of August 5th. The way I did this was to create a Field called Assembly-DueDate with type of Date/Time and used a formula in the 'Set the initial value of this field to:' This field will then show the appropriate date that the Assembler must complete this job by. When I give him the schedule I simply replace the Start Date with the Assembly-DueDate.

Up to this point everything works like a charm. Here is my problem. Jobs obviously get moved. Whether it is our fault or the customer just isn't ready we very often need to move the job on the schedule. Because my formula to determine this special date is set as the 'Initial value in the form' it doesn't run again once the job is moved on the schedule. Therefore if the Start Date was August 8th, the Assembly-DueDate is August 5th. If I have to move the job a week to August 15th, the AssemblyDueDate remains at August 5th and not August 12th like I would prefer.

Is there a way I can 'Reload' the form so that the 'Set Initial Value....' formula is run again? If not, does anyone know of a solution to my problem.

thanks.

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

You can't "reload" the form and reset it back to a new form state.

You can either use code to calculate the assembly due date so it's always 3
days or whatever before the due date or you could change your formula to be
due date - 3, using the DateDiff() function. If all you want is the assembly
due date to be always 3 days prior to due date then that's the way I'd
probably go.

Just make sure that when you publish your revised form that you change the
Version property so Outlook knows it's a new version and you don't get forms
cache corruption or users running previous versions of the form.

 

[Aaron]

Hi Ken. Thanks for your response. I do use the DateDiff() function in the formula box for 'Set Initial Value of this Field to". The problem is that when we move a job that value doesn't get updated. IE: That formula doesn't run again.

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

That's because your formula is for initial value. Set the formula to be the
control's value and not just the initial value.

 

[Aaron]

I tried that. I created a new field called, DueDate, with Type - Formula. I then entered the DateDiff() formula that I have been using. But Outlook automatically takes that formula and enters it into the 'Set the Initial Value of the Field to' area. I hope that makes sense. Essentially, when I go back and Design the Form, and right-click on the Field and go to Properties and then to the Value tab, the Intial Value check box is clicked and my formula shows up there. Therefore I am back to my original problem of it only being an 'initial' value.

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

There is a dual value radio control under the formula area. Did you select
the setting for "calculate this formula automatically"?