OL97: First Tab of Custom Form Cannot Be Modified

You cannot modify the first or any of the default tabs of a custom form based on the built-in Appointment, Contact, Journal, or Task forms.

The default tabs of a custom form can only be modified if the form is based on the built-in Message or Post forms.

To simulate customizing the first tab of a form based on the built-in Appointment, Contact, Journal, or Task form, you can hide the first tab of the form so that the second tab displays on top. To hide the first tab of a form, follow these steps:

1. In Design Outlook Form mode, select the first tab to make it active.
2. On the Form menu, click to clear the Display This Page option.
3. Use the Field Chooser dialog box to add controls needed for the top tab to the second tab.

This behavior is by design in Microsoft Outlook 97.

Some of the special outlook controls will not be available on the modified second page. For example, the drop-down calendar control that allows easy selection of a calendar date will not be enabled when a date oriented control is added to the second tab. Nor will the ability to select a block of time from the calendar and have that time automatically inserted into a new appointment.

NOTE: You cannot create a custom form based on the built-in Note form.

For more information about creating solutions with Microsoft Outlook 97, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: