How to make the Outlook CTRL-K work right

[jsteph]

I have a list of Contacts, and an Address book. I'd like to be able to start typing an email address in Outlook and have it look in *both* Contacts and Address book; either when I start typing or when I do ctrl-k. Currently it appears (in Outlook 10) that I only get to choose one or the other.

Is there any way to merge the two? I mean, I really don't get the difference between the two, they seem pretty darn similar to me and I don't really understand the reasoning in having them both, and then only allowing one or the other as a search/autofill source for email addresses.

Any ideas on this? Thanks,
--Jim

 

[brontosaurus]

Are you talking about a personal address book? If so, why not just merge the contents into your contacts and be rid of it?

 

[58sniper]

Two different things happening there. When you start typing a name, and it auto-completes, that's being pulled from your nickname file. Not the GAL, and not your Contacts. When you successfully send to a recipient, they get added to that list, and when a message delivery fails, it gets removed.

When you hit CTRL+K, you're doing a lookup query against your GAL & Contacts (assuming your Contacts are set as an Outlook Address Book)

Pat Richard, MCSE MCSA:Messaging CNA
Microsoft Exchange MVP
Want to know how email works? Read for yourself -

http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2821.txt

 

[jsteph]

brontosaurus,
If (automated) merging is possible, then I'd do it--is this an option?

58Sniper,
With the GAL, I guess that's part of the problem--now there's a 3rd place I have to worry about and manage. What I really would like is a single place where all my email addresses are located. The GAL to me is useless if it isn't in sync with current reality, ie, my current address/contacts.

I had an issue with the GAL before, where when I changed an Address or Contact, say "John" used to be john@aol.com. Say he changed to john@comcast.net, yet when I start typing 'J', "John" shows up--with no email address visible. Then when I go to send it goes to the old AOL address--but I've deleted that from Addressbook (or contacts or whatever).

I've even had it where I'll type, say "Joe", and "Joe" shows up in the 'To:' box, but dbl-clicking it shows no email at all--and of course sending results in an invalid address error. If only successful sending's get into the GAL, I don't know how this would happen.

Anyway, it looks like merging will work if that's automated, and a 'wish-list' feature would be where an email address automatically gets added whenever I send something, if that email doesn't exist already of course. I think someone here had said that used to be in Outlook-Express, but not in Outlook. Strange.
--Jim

 

[brontosaurus]

You can merge automatically. First, locate where your personal address book file is on your hard drive (it will have a .pab extension), then do this:

On the File menu, click Import and Export.
Under Choose an action to perform, click Import from another program or file, and then click Next.
Under Select file type to import from, click Personal Address Book, and then click Next.
Under Select destination folder, click Contacts or a subfolder under Contacts.
Click Finish.

 

[jsteph]

brontosaurus,
Thanks, I'll try that and see what happens,
--Jim