Understanding the Outlook FileAs field construct
When the FileAs field is set to be comprised of its two different components (Name and CompanyName) it is presented in different ways depending on where the field is actually being used/viewed. For the purpose of this article each of the two components will be referenced as Part1 and Part2. The value of each of these parts is determined by the default format setting for the FileAs field.
Some of the FileAs display variations are:
#1 – When a contact is opened, Part2 of the FileAs field will contain left and right brackets (i.e. John Smith (TheCompany) )
#2 – In the <Address Card> view, the FileAs is the <title> for the address card and is displayed on two lines
#3 – In the <Business Card> view, the FileAs field is the title for the BusinessCard and is displayed on one line with each part separated by a comma and no brackets around the second part
#4 – In <All Fields> <All Contact Fields>, the FileAs appears the same as shown in the Business Card view – the two parts are separated by a comma with no brackets surrounding Part2
The actual contents of the FileAs field when created in Outlook is Part1 separated from Part2 by the carriage return/linefeed characters (otherwise referred to as <CRLF>). There are no brackets contained in the internal FileAs field. Any brackets that appear are added by Outlook when displayed.
This really only becomes important if you use the contact <Address> view and manually change the FileAs field to a non-standard format even if it includes the two parts. There is no way to manually include the <CRLF> characters so that the Address view remains consistent.
ContactGenie Export functions remove the <CRLF> characters from the FileAs field and insert left and right brackets around Part2 where applicable.
Category: Understanding Outlook
