XCLN: Public Folders and Linked/Embedded Documents (156565)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Exchange Client 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Windows NT client 4.0
  • Microsoft Outlook 2002
  • Microsoft Outlook 2000
  • Microsoft Outlook 98
  • Microsoft Outlook 97
This article was previously published under Q156565

SUMMARY

If you open an OLE object located in a Microsoft Exchange Public Folder (PF), copy part of the object to the clipboard, and paste a link to that object into another OLE aware application, any subsequent modifications to the original OLE object will modify a local copy of the OLE object, not the one located in the PF. This behavior is not specific to any one application, it will occur with any application that is OLE aware.

This behavior is by design. The file stored in the PF is an OLE object and as such, has no actual file system path. Therefore, the OLE client links to a local temporary file while it is open.

MORE INFORMATION

To reproduce this behavior, follow these steps:
  1. Start a Microsoft Exchange client.
  2. Post an Excel file (Test.xls) in a PF.
  3. Open the Excel file in the PF.
  4. Highlight a few cells and copy them to the clipboard by opening the Edit menu and selecting Copy.
  5. Start Microsoft Word and create a new Word document.
  6. Open the Edit menu, click the Paste Special command, click the Paste Link radio button, select Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object in the As listbox, and click OK.

    NOTE: At this point, the link is pointing to Test.xls in your Temp directory, usually C:\Temp\Test.xls.
  7. Close Excel. This will delete the temporary Test.xls file.
  8. In the Word document, open the Edit menu, click Links, and click Update Now.
At this point, the Update column will display N/A because the link is pointing to a file in the temp directory that no longer exists.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:8/17/2005
Keywords:kbprb kbusage KB156565
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