what purpose do Outlook contact nicknames serve?

[pjb]

What purpose does the "Nickname" field in Outlook serve, and how can I use it?
If I enter a nickname in that field, does it overwrite the nickname which is
(apparently) auto-assigned by Outlook, and get stored in the *.nk2 file?
Why don't the auto-assigned nicknames appear in the Nickname field for a
Contact?
How does the nickname I specify for the Contact differ from the one which
Outllook automatically assigns?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

It's just another field in the data record. It has nothing to do with the
..nk2 file, and Outlook does not use it for name resolution.

 

[Randy]

When you write Nickname field, do you man the Display As? The latter is a
direct link to the NK2 file. If you ever started to type an e-mail address
into a contact folder you will notice that it will begin to autocomplete if
there is a match in the NK2 file. This is a dynamically linked field
associated with the NK2 file. Also, you also notice when you export a
contact folder the display as information does not export...

This information is readily attainable using our NK2 autocomplete file
editor. You can review it at www.dcs-imaging.com/products.htm

Randy