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Old February 2nd 06, 01:06 AM posted to microsoft.public.outlook.contacts
EPB
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 3
Default auto format phone number fields in Outlook 2003

You are kidding, right? I guess not. So, youare telling me that a
synchronization program can't or won't work because it can't distinguish a
phone number if it is not hard wired with "( )"? Give me a break, will you
please. How come I can synchronize with other programs and the phone numbers
retain whatever format I had them in originally?

Real hard to program something to check for format:
IF "(" then do whatever
ELSE IF "-" the do whatever
END IF

Like I said, I synchronize with other programs and they all have no problem
with whatever format I have input initially. Only the Microsoft product
hardwires it to "( )". Which I might add is an old way to format a phone
number. You see "( )" less and less. So when is Microsoft going to get with
it?

Disgruntled user

"Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:

Because masking of phone numbers in Outlook is hard coded and not subject to
end user configuration. That design is intentional. Outlook's formats must
be consistent. How can developers of synchronization software write programs
if they don't know what format Outlook's data will be?
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"EPB" wrote in message
news
I am using Outlook 2000 and I changed all of my phone numbers to use
hyphens
("-") in the format (I don't want the parenthesis "( )"). Outlook then
defaults all phone numbers back to parenthesis - WHY?

I have my default dialing location set and it still defaults my format to
parenthesis (even the dialing location dialog box example shows hyphens
X-XXX-XXX-XXXX).

"Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:

That would depend on your OS.
Most use the Phone and modems utility in Control Panel.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"msj" wrote in message
...
How do you set the default dialing location for OS?

"Russ Valentine [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:

Just set your default dialing location for your operating system.
--
Russ Valentine
[MVP-Outlook]
"thuinker" wrote in message
...
With Office 2003 on another machine, I could enter a phone number
into
one
of
the phone number fields in a new (or old) contact as a straight
10-digit
string, or with dashes between area code and prefix and between
prefix
and
the rest of the number, and when I tabbe out of the field, Outlook
would
format it into (XXX) XXX-XXXX. I recently installed Office 2003 onto
a
replacement notebook, and this installation does not format the
phone
numbers. Where is the switch I need to throw?










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