OL2002: Custom Forms and Programming Limitations

This article describes the known limitations that you may encounter when you create custom forms and programming solutions with Microsoft Outlook. Issues that are covered in this article include limitations of the object model and other limitations that are related to the architectural design of Outlook.

Object Model Limitations

Unlike other Microsoft Office programs, Outlook does not provide a complete object model and the object model does not parallel the user interface. For additional information about specific limitations that are related to the Outlook object model, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

General Storage Limitations

Storage limitations vary depending on whether data is stored in a Microsoft Exchange folder, a Personal Folders file (.pst), or an Offline Folder file (.ost). For additional information about limitations that are related to storage capacities, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Custom Form Limitations

This section discusses known limitations related to items and custom forms.

Information Bar Does Not Show on Custom Form Pages

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Subject Field is Not Spell-Checked

If you make any changes to the Message tab of a custom mail message form, the Subject field is not spell-checked. This limitation of a custom mail message form occurs because the control that is used in design mode for the Subject field is different than the default control. The default control supports the ability to spell-check.

Cannot Add a From Field or a BCC Field to the Custom Mail Message Form

After you open a custom mail message form, you cannot click the View menu and then click From or click BCC to add a From field or to add a BCC field to the form. Outlook disables this option because it cannot determine where these fields should be inserted on the custom user interface of the form. To work around this limitation, add these fields at design time so the fields are available to the end user.

Autosignatures Are Not Added to Custom Mail Message Forms

If you publish a custom form, Outlook does not add autosignatures to the e-mail when you open a new form. However, if you use an action such as Reply or Forward and the action is set to launch a custom form, Outlook adds the autosignature when the action is performed.

Sending Custom Forms over the Internet

Microsoft designed Outlook custom forms for use primarily in a Microsoft Exchange Server environment (Intranet), or for personal use. Custom forms may not work when they are sent over the Internet. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Phone Numbers Behave Differently on a Custom Contact Form

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Form Size Limitations

For additional information about limitations related to the number of fields or controls that you can have on an Outlook form, click the article numbers below to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Field Size Limitations

For additional information about limitations related to the amount of data fields can contain, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Forms Available on the Actions Menu

For additional information about the maximum number of forms that are available at the bottom of the Action menu, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Number of Forms that You Can Publish in a Folder

There is no fixed limit to how many forms that you can publish to a folder, Personal Forms Library, or Organizational Forms Library. All published forms are stored as hidden items in a folder, so the limit is the same as the maximum number of messages that a folder can contain.

Editing Fields by Using the "All Fields" Page of a Form

If you view or change the contents of a Text field by using the All Fields page of a form, you are limited to 255 characters. However, if you access the field by using a control on an Outlook form, you can type more than 255 characters in the field. This is a limitation of the All Fields pages of a form and not the underlying storage capacity of the fields.

Custom Forms and HTTP Mail

Outlook custom forms are not designed to be used with HTTP-base mail. For additional information, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

View Limitations

This section discusses known the limitations that are related to Outlook views.

Editing Fields by Using In-Cell Editing

If you view or change the contents of a Text field by using the In-cell editing feature, you are limited to 255 characters. However, if you access the field by using a control on an Outlook form, you can type more than 255 characters in the field. This is a limitation of the In-cell editing feature and not the underlying storage capacity of the fields.

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