OL98: ListBox Bound to Keywords Field Unexpectedly Changes

ID: Q196937

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Outlook 98

SYMPTOMS

When using a custom form containing a ListBox control, Microsoft Outlook unexpectedly adds a new possible value to the control.

CAUSE

This behavior is due to the storage limitation of Keywords fields. If the control is bound to a field of type Keywords and you select a number of possible values in the control, the field may exceed its 255-character maximum length. This causes the last value to be truncated.

Because the custom Keywords field now contains a new value that is not one of the options in the control, Outlook adds this new value to the list of possible choices in the control.

MORE INFORMATION

If you bind a ListBox control to a Keywords field, check boxes appear next to each of the possible values in the control. When using the form, a user can select multiple values by clicking the check boxes in the control.

REFERENCES

For more information about using a ListBox with a Keywords field, please see the following reference:

"Building Applications with Microsoft Outlook 98," Peter Krebs and Jim Groves, pages 175-176, Microsoft Press, 1998.

For more information about creating solutions with Microsoft Outlook 98, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q180826 OL98: Resources for Custom Forms and Programming

Q182349 OL98: Questions About Custom Forms and Outlook Solutions

WORKAROUND

Use any of the following methods:

Shorten the length of the possible values in the control so that a user cannot select more than 255 total characters.

If possible, use more than one Keywords field to store the possible values.

Redesign the form to avoid the use of the Keywords fields. For example, use multiple check boxes on the form instead.

Additional query words: OutSol OutSol98


Keywords          : 
Version           : WINDOWS:
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: August 8, 1999