OL97: Problem Exporting Multi-line Contact Street Addresses

• Microsoft Outlook 97

SYMPTOMS

When you export Microsoft Outlook 97 Contacts in either comma or tab delimited format, any street addresses that contain more than one line are exported with carriage returns separating the multiple lines. This may results in a skewed output file containing multiple records for those contacts containing multi-line street addresses.

CAUSE

In a comma or tab delimited file, carriage returns are interpreted as record delimiters.

RESOLUTION

There are two options for correcting this problem:

Option 1

Export the file in comma delimited (csv) format, then open the file in Microsoft Excel. The file will import correctly with one record per contact and the multi-line street address in one cell.

NOTE: This option will not work if you export the file in tab delimited (tsv) format.

Option 2

Export the file in either comma delimited (csv) or tab delimited (tsv) format, then open the output file in Word and manipulate the data as follows:

1. On Edit menu, click Replace.

2. In the Find What window, type a double quotation mark (") then click Special and click Paragraph Mark.

3. In the Replace With window, type any special character not found in

       your data, such as a pound sign (#).
   

4. Click Replace All.

5. In the Find What window, click Special and click Paragraph Mark.

6. In the Replace With Window, type whatever character you would like to use to separate the multiple street address lines, such as a percent sign (%).

7. Click Replace All.

8. In the Find What window, type the special character used in step 3 above.

9. In the Replace With window, click Special and click Paragraph Mark.

10. Click Replace All.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Microsoft Outlook 97. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

The following, illustrates the problem described in the SYMPTOMS section and the result of performing the procedure described in the RESOLUTION section above.

The example below has a 2 line street address:

   John Doe
   1234 Mockingbird Lane (address line 1)
   Apt 589               (address line 2)
   Dallas, TX 75123

   "John Doe","1234 Mockingbird Lane[CR]  (record 1)
    Apt 589","Dallas, TX 75123"[CR]        (record 2)

   "John Doe","1234 Mockingbird Lane%Apt 589","Dallas, TX 75123"[CR]