OL2002: ListBox Bound to Keywords Field Unexpectedly Changes (290813)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook 2002
This article was previously published under Q290813

SYMPTOMS

When using a custom form containing a ListBox control, 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.

RESOLUTION

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.

STATUS

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

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 2000," Microsoft Corp., pages 173-175, Microsoft Press, 1999.

For additional information about available resources and answersto commonly asked questions about Microsoft Outlook solutions, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

287530 OL2002: Questions About Custom Forms and Outlook Solutions

Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:3/1/2004
Keywords:kbnofix kbprb KB290813
©2004 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.