Microsoft KB Archive/290813

= OL2002: ListBox Bound to Keywords Field Unexpectedly Changes =

Article ID: 290813

Article Last Modified on 3/1/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Outlook 2002 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q290813





SYMPTOMS
When using a custom form containing a ListBox control, Outlook unexpectedly adds a new possible value to the control.



CAUSE
This behavior is due to the storage limitation of Keywords fields. If the control is bound to a field of type Keywords and you select a number of possible values in the control, the field may exceed its 255-character maximum length. This causes the last value to be truncated. Because the custom Keywords field now contains a new value that is not one of the options in the control, Outlook adds this new value to the list of possible choices in the control.



RESOLUTION
Use any of the following methods:
 * Shorten the length of the possible values in the control so that a user cannot select more than 255 total characters.
 * If possible, use more than one Keywords field to store the possible values.
 * Redesign the form to avoid the use of the Keywords fields. For example, use multiple check boxes on the form instead.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.



MORE INFORMATION
If you bind a ListBox control to a Keywords field, check boxes appear next to each of the possible values in the control. When using the form, a user can select multiple values by clicking the check boxes in the control.

