HOWTO: Remove parenthesis for phone numbers in Outlook

[Per [Pedalen]]

Hi everyone,

My problem is nothing I really heard of before so I hope there is an answer
:-)

My customer has there customers placed in a public folder (contacts) and
there are two customized forms based on Contacts form for creating contacts
as they wish. Everything works ok BUT my customer wishes to remove the
irritating parenthesis that appear for the area code (ie +46 (8) 9999 9999).
Using swedish as regional settings mean NO paranthesis when having Sweden as
country (+46). As we use another country these irritating parenthesis appear
:-(

My customer is multinational and also uses Blackberrys which mean they
really want to remove these paranthesis.

As a workaround we have written code to remove these paranthesis in form but
we also need to show the numbers in same format in our view "Customer list".
Which we cannot find any way to do but change all fields (coupled to for
example Business Phone) into userdefined text fields and present in form and
view.

Is there ANY way to remove the parenthesis for the form fields with phone
numbers?

Thanks in advance,

Per

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

The formatting is applied automatically based on country code and can't be
changed.

--
Ken Slovak
[MVP - Outlook]
http://www.slovaktech.com
Author: Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
Reminder Manager, Extended Reminders, Attachment Options
http://www.slovaktech.com/products.htm

"Per [Pedalen]" <PerPe...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:2A462E32-5089-44E0...@microsoft.com...

[Per [Pedalen]]

This does mean I need to create a complete workaround using form text fields?
Or isn't that a possibility either?

Thanks,

Per

[homeLAN]

The formatting including the parentheses is not only automatic, it's correct.
The parentheses are the correct delimeter for the area code in a phone number
expressed in proper international format: +ccc (aaa) nnn, where ccc is
country code, aaa is area code and nnn is the local number. Only in the few
cases where countries do not have internal area codes (eg, Singapore and Hong
Kong) should there be no parentheses delimeter for area code in the number.

So, the previous poster's customer can find the parentheses "irritating" all
they want, but trying to remove them is incorrect and a waste of effort.

"Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]" wrote:

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

You could use text fields but they won't be phone fields, they will just be
text fields.

--
Ken Slovak
[MVP - Outlook]
http://www.slovaktech.com
Author: Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
Reminder Manager, Extended Reminders, Attachment Options
http://www.slovaktech.com/products.htm

"Per [Pedalen]" <PerPe...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:F661389B-2C22-46F4...@microsoft.com...

[magnetml]

Dear Ken,

I am in the exact same situation being very annoyed by the paranthesis and
quite frankly your answer is completely unacceptable. It is not important
what you consider to be correct but how your clients wish to use the program.
The previous version of Outlook granted the user the option to chose the
format he wishes and you seem to be saying that this option has been removed?
It is very annoying having to change the entire setup of our quite
substantial address book simply because a programmer deems that "it is
correct" to use parenthesis. What Per, the undersigned and I am sure
countless other users need is a program where the user (read client!) defines
the format that he is comfortable with.

Therefore I kindly request that Microsoft introduce this I am certain very
small change allowing clients the choice to not use the paranthesis

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

First of all, I don't work for MS, I'm a volunteer.

Second, it doesn't matter if you don't like the answer, that's how Outlook
works.

Submit a suggestion to MS for a change in Outlook but Outlook 2007 already
works the way you don't like so don't expect any changes before whatever is
after Outlook 2007 (if then). You could also use a different mail program if
you don't like Outlook.

--
Ken Slovak
[MVP - Outlook]
http://www.slovaktech.com
Author: Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
Reminder Manager, Extended Reminders, Attachment Options
http://www.slovaktech.com/products.htm

"magnetml" <magn...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:8DC5FDC4-DA3F-4947...@microsoft.com...

[mitch]

I like what you said Ken. Personal I maybe old school but parenthesis has
been the format for years and why should we change the format that has
worked for years and will work for years to come. Just because people are
to put out by use the in the correct format.

Mitch

"Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]" <kens...@mvps.org> wrote in message
news:OowtVu6Z...@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

[DisplayNameThatIsLessThan41Characters]

"WE" should change the format because not everybody derives any benefit from
the "correct" format and derives a lot of trouble from not being able to
choose. Many programs (database front-ends, spreadsheets, Acrobat forms, et
c.) will supply the formatting to telephone numbers, at least when
international calling is not an issue. And if one is not relying on automatic
dialing, international calling is not a problem with free form formatting.

There are at least two solutions that Outlook could provide without
deviating from the "correct format": (1) facilitate the re-formatting of
imported data (it is completely impractical now) and (2) allow country codes
to be recorded in a separate data field from the area code and phone number.

As for the suggestion of using another email program, this is not an issue
for email but for telephone contacts. (I have avoided Outlook for many years,
I do not use it for email, and do not expect ever to use it for email.) It is
cynical and completely disingenuous for a company (or those who make a living
as a collaborators to a company) that tries as hard as it can (and very
nearly succeeds at) being a world monopoly, to tell people who finally
succumb to another piece of the monopoly that they have free choice in which
program to use.

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

Since I have no control over what MS does and in most cases they don't
listen to me or the other MVP's about how the features work we have to live
with what they decide, whether or not we agree with the decisions. As a peer
to peer forum with no MS participation any complaints here also aren't
likely to get to the attention of anyone at MS.

All I can suggest is making suggestions to MS using MSWish or the wish
options at the Web interface to the Outlook support groups. Those wishes are
logged and reviewed by the product teams and if enough people wish for
something or complain about something there's a chance things might change
later. Not a guarantee, but a chance.

--
Ken Slovak
[MVP - Outlook]
http://www.slovaktech.com
Author: Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Office Outlook 2003
Reminder Manager, Extended Reminders, Attachment Options
http://www.slovaktech.com/products.htm

"DisplayNameThatIsLessThan41Characters"
<DisplayNameThatIsL...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
message news:346B6063-916F-4BB8...@microsoft.com...

[daniel]

Hi, try putting these symbols in front of the number.

()()99999999

I had the same problem and the only way I found to make outlook put only the
phone number (without area code) was adding ()()

[SheaSF]

Good points, "DisplayNameThatIsLessThan41Characters".

My company is transitioning from in-house Domino/Lotus Notes servers to a
commercially hosted Exchange service. Since Notes doesn't force any
particular format onto the phone number fields, most users' entries are in
the ###-###-#### format. Importing their Notes Address Book into Outlook's
Contacts didn't go through and change the format to (###) ###-####, but as
user add new numbers, the parenthesis appear. It might seem like a little
thing to some here, but it's a regular complaint.

About the use of parenthesis around the area code: Whether or not they are
used has nothing to do with correctness or some national standard. The
parenthesis were used in the English grammatical sense to indicate that one
didn't have to dial these numbers, along with the seven digits following,
unless he or she was not in that calling area.

This distinction used to matter 30 years ago when calling areas encompassed
entire states. The number of calling areas had to be increased as calling
areas started running out of seven digit numbers. In fact, in many areas
throughout the country, the area code must be dialed within the calling area,
because, as calling areas were split, often it was prohibitively expensive to
"split" the infrastructure. Basically, phone subscribers are simply being
assigned a 10-digit phone number.

The point: Area codes are used way too much to warrant parenthetical status.

Most people enter the entire 10-digit "address" in their mobile phone's
address book -- the mobile providers' network is smart enough to handle it,
even if some LAN providers' networks can't.

The area code is just no longer an indication of the calling area where the
7-digit number is valid -- It is part of a 10-digit phone number.

I pulled out a stack of business cards, browsed the stack of account
statements and credit card offers on my counter -- nobody uses the
parenthesis around the area code.

I'm not saying it's wrong to use the parenthesis. It doesn't make sense
grammatically anymore.

Peace.

P.S. I'm sending a copy of this discussion to Microsoft's Office team. All
we want is a way to turn to auto-format of phone numbers off. Everything else
in Outlook has options.

[riated@discussions.microsoft.com in (fu) riated]

Hello

Firstly, this auto formatting of telephone numbers is very annoying. Modern
INTERNATIONAL business uses a format similar to +CC NN NN NN NN where CC is
the country code and NN is the number.

To stop the parenthesis, either type +CCNNNNNNNN with no spaces, or simply
remove the + symbol and type CC NN NN NN NN.

Ommitting the spaces makes it difficult to read the number in order to dial
it on a telephone.
Ommitting the + symbol introduces an unwanted telephone number format.

[steve wayne]

Outlook 2002 will accept the format 1NNNNNNNNNN (1 followed by nine numbers
without hyphens or spaces) Lousy workaround but some may find it acceptable.

url:http://www.ureader.com/msg/1102189.aspx