After Office XP SP3 installed - intermitent problems with forms

  • Thread starter Thread starter Neil
  • Start date Start date
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Neil

We have been using Outlook XP with Sp2 through our SBS
2000 server Sp1 for the past year with absolutely no
problems with our special forms with some script
programming behind them.

After Sp3 installed we understandably get the 'a program
is trying to access your address book ...' message that is
invoked with Sp3 security - some programming changes will
be needed but this is ok. What I didnt expect was that we
are receiving an intermitent success whhen our forms are
being downloaded to the client - sometimes they work,
sometimes they dont - when they dont, the situation is
cached and we cannot change it unless we re publish the
form through the server.

I have returned our clients to SP2 by reloading Outlook
(what a pain) - problem has now gone BUT MICROSOFT this
appears to be a timing bug as our forms run 15 lines of
code before the form loads - this may be a hint to where
to fix the problem. An update to SP3 should not cause
intermitent issues !

Anyone else have any ideas ???

Thanks

Neil
 
Can you elaborate a little on what doesn't work when you see this problem
and what you mean by "the situation is cached and we cannot change it unless
we re publish the form through the server." Where is the form normally
published?
 
Thanks for the reply

The problem is that the form does not come down from the
server - an error message reports this (or as I suspect, a
timer within Outlook SP3 misses the form somehow)
As this happens at a randomly - the point I was making
regarding the caching of the form refers to my attempt to
understand why the form NEVER comes down to the client
after it fails the first time - this includes after the
client system is rebooted.
The only time the client works again is when the form is
republished to the server.
I have tested this situation on 2000 and XP clients and
they both have the problem.
When I return the clients to Outlook XP Sp2 the problem
vanishes.

I hope Microsoft is reading this too !

Thanks

Neil
 
To what forms library(ies) is the form published? Does clearing the client
forms cache make any difference?
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
The forms are published to a public folder. Clearing the
client forms cache doesnt make a difference.
Although we are using Exchange 2000 SP3 - I have just
discovered that there is a POST SP3 additional set of fixes
Dont know if that will make a difference but will try

Neil
 
What post-SP3 fixes are you referring to? What kind of forms are these --
message, contact, etc.?
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
The Post SP3 fixes are for Exchange Server 2000 Sp3

The Forms are contact and task based

Neil
 
Are both types of forms published to one folder? You need to publish each
form to the folder(s) that contain the items that use the form. Or, publish
the form to the Organizational Forms library.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
Our users on Outlook 2002 SP-3 are also having problems with custom forms
published to a public folder.

The problem seems to happen in two forms:

1) When an item is opened, it is rendered using the standard Post form that
our custom form is based on instead of the custom form, or,

2) The user gets a message that in the Observer pane "Unable to display the
folder."

This problem has just been mentioned to me today, and I've found that this
happens to three of our users who upgraded to Outlook 2002 SP-3.

Deleting their frmcache.dat seems to work for them temporarily. Consensus is
that they are having to clear their cache 2 -3 times a day.

Thank you,

RG
 
Maybe this is the issue: The custom forms cache in Outlook 2002 SP3 is
folder-specific, as it is in Outlook 2003. If an item’s custom form is not
published in the item’s parent folder or in the Personal Forms or
Organizational Forms library, Outlook will display the default form for that
type of item, rather than the custom form. Where is your custom form
published? Is it used by items in more than one folder?

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of
Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
 
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