Add Custom Fields to your forms

Custom Fields have multiple uses:

• Contact
Information
• Contact Type
• Product Interests
• Literature sent
• Level of interest
• Account Manager Assigned
• Date of next call
• Company / Account Information
• Products Sold
• Contract Type
• Contract Expiry
• Account Manager Name
• Account Number
• Set up a Sales Opportunity form
  • Sales Stage
  • Account Manager Name
  • Sales Value
  • Expected date of order
  • Products to be quoted / Products Sold
• Task Information
  • Task log ID
  • Originator name
  • Document Number

Setting up Custom Fields is easy

Any of the standard Outlook forms can be modified to add additional fields. The process can be remarkably simple to add some basic fields. The process is:

• Open a clean form of the type you want to edit in the folder you wish to use the new form in. (i.e. if you want a new contact form, select file / new / contact )
• If the form is already customised, SAVE A COPY OF YOUR EXISTING FORM, or you may lose your work. Select file / save as ,  and save to a suitable folder with a sensible name and iteration (mycontact2). Do this regularly as you update your forms so you can always get back to a previous (working) version.
• Change to edit mode (tools / forms / design this form )
• Select the 'Field Chooser' option from the design toolbar.
• Select 'New' from the 'Field Chooser' palette displayed
• Give the field a relevant and unique name, and select the type of field you want it to be (i.e. Text, date, number etc)
• Drag the field from the 'Field Chooser' palette to your form, and place it and its label in a suitable place.
• (Repeat the process for all the fields you need)
• Save a copy of the form (as above)
• Publish the form to the folder (tools / forms / publish form as) giving it a suitable name (e.g. "Customer".
• Test your new form by creating a new item using the form. The 'actions' menu on the toolbar has a list of forms you can use to create new items from (You might see 'New Customer' if you called your form Customer.

If you want all new items in that folder to automatically use your new form, you will need to change the folder properties:

• Right click the folder in the navigation pane and select 'properties'.
• On the 'General' tab set the 'When posting to this folder use' drop down box to your new form. Test your new form by selecting the 'New'  from the toolbar and the item should use your new form.

For more information on custom fields and forms check out:

Microsoft Developers Network
www.Outlookcode.net
 

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