Microsoft KB Archive/241205

= OL2000: Item Using VBScript Cannot Be Displayed in Preview Pane =

Article ID: 241205

Article Last Modified on 10/8/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Outlook 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q241205





SYMPTOMS
You select an item in a folder, and the preview pane displays the following message:

This item contains active content that cannot be displayed in the preview pane. Open the item to read its contents.



CAUSE
The Microsoft Outlook preview pane does not support displaying items that contain "active content." However, the behavior is different depending on the type of item you are using.



MORE INFORMATION
If the item is a mail message or post, it cannot be previewed if the item is based on a custom form that uses Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) in any way.

If the item is something other than a mail message or post, it may display in the preview pane if it is based on a published form. However, it cannot be previewed if the item -- at any point in time -- contained VBScript that was directly stored within the item. Once an item contains programming code, Outlook sets a flag in the item indicating that it contains active content. Once this flag has been set, it cannot be reset. If you delete the VBScript, or programmatically change the message class so that the item may once again used a published form, the contents of the item may still not be viewable in the preview pane.

VBScript code can be stored in the item if the form designer specified saving the form definition with the item, or if the item somehow used a one-off form.

For more information about one-off forms, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

207896 OL2000: Working with Form Definitions and One-Off Forms

For example, if you receive a mail message that is based on a custom form stored in the Organizational Forms Library, you may not be able to preview the mail message. If you use a custom contact form that is stored in the Organizational Forms Library as your default contact form, you may be able to preview the Notes field using the preview pane. If the custom contact form becomes embedded in the contact item, you may no longer be able to preview the contact.

