Outline codes are lost after you edit the Custom Field lookup table in Project 2002 and in Project 2000 (256666)

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Project 2000 or in Microsoft Project 2002, you may receive the following message after you edit a custom Outline Code field in the Edit Lookup Table dialog box:

This change to the outline code definition will cause one or more codes to become invalid.

To proceed with the change and delete the invalid codes, click OK.

To cancel and return to the Outline Code Definition dialog box, click Cancel.

If you click OK, existing Outline Code field values for tasks or for resources that use that custom Outline Code field may be lost. If you click Cancel, the Outline Code Definition dialog box is displayed again.

In Microsoft Project Standard 2002, this problem may occur when you try to change the custom Outline Code field for any of the following custom outline codes:

Task outline codes
Resource outline codes

In Microsoft Project Professional 2002, this problem may occur when you try to change the custom Outline Code field for any of the following custom outline codes:

Enterprise task outline codes
Resource outline codes
Project outline codes

CAUSE

This behavior occurs when you perform the following procedure:

You define a lookup table for a custom Outline Code field.
In the Edit Lookup Table dialog box for that custom Outline Code field, you click Cut Row to remove an outline code row, and then click Paste Row to paste the row in a new location.

When you close the Outline Code Definition dialog box, you receive the message that is described in the "Symptoms" section.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, do not cut and paste outline code rows in the Edit Lookup Table dialog box to reorder the list of outline codes. Instead, edit each outline code to achieve the order that you want.

For example, if you want to rearrange the first and second outline codes in a lookup table, change the value of the first outline code row to match the second outline code row. Then, change the value of the second row to match the original value of the first row.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

In Project Standard 2002

Start Project Standard 2002, and then open a new blank project.
On the Tools menu, point to Customize, and then click Fields.
Click the Custom Outline Codes tab.
Under Outline Code, click Task.
Click Outline Code2, and then click Rename.
Type OC2, and then click OK .
Click Define Code Mask.
In the first row of the Code mask table, click the arrow under Sequence, and then click Characters.
In the Code mask table under the Sequence section, click the cell in the second row.
Note that the entry in the first row is now defined as Level 1.
Accept the default values that appear for Level 1.
Click the arrow, and then click Characters.
In the Code mask table under the Sequence section, click the cell in the third row.
Note that entry in the second row is now defined as Level 2.
Click Edit Lookup Table.
In the first row under Outline Code, type a to create the outline code for Level 1.
In the second row under Outline Code, type b to create the outline code for Level 2.
Click Close, click OK , and then click OK .
On the View menu, click to select Gantt Chart .
Create a task, and then name it "T1".
On the Insert menu, click Column.
In the Field name box, click OC2 (Outline Code2), and then click OK.
For task T1, click the arrow under OC2, and then click a.
On the Tools menu, point to Customize, and then click Fields.
Click the Custom Outline Codes tab.
Click OC2 (Outline Code2 ), and then click Edit Lookup Table.
Click a, and then click the Cut Row button.
Click b , and then click the Paste Row button.
Click Close, and then click OK .
View the OC2 field for task T1.
Note that the outline code "a" no longer appears for T1.