Opening a Form in Design Mode

To create a form you first open a template on which to base it. You can either start with a blank form stored in a form library or open a form (such as a message) that has been already been used — sent to your mailbox or posted to a folder.

For information about form libraries, open the Microsoft Platform SDK on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN™) CD-ROM and see the topics "Form Libraries" in the Messaging API (MAPI) section and "About the Organization Forms Library" in the Microsoft Exchange Server section.

To open a blank form in design mode

Choose a template of an appropriate message class; see Outlook Forms and Message Classes.

1. Start Microsoft Outlook.
2. Point to Forms from the Tools menu of Microsoft Outlook.
3. Choose Design a Form. The Design Form menu is displayed.
4. Choose a form library from the Look In list box.
5. From the list, choose a base form to use as a template. Not every form in the list is editable, so not every form you see can be used as a starting point for a custom form. Click the name of the form and click Open. In the case of LitCrit, the IPM.Post form was chosen as the template.
6. The form opens in design mode.

To open a sent or posted form in design mode

1. Start Microsoft Outlook.
2. Open an item — a sent or posted message or another form.
3. Point to Forms from the Tools menu of the opened form.
4. Choose Design this Form. The form opens in design mode.

Note that the fields in this form do not lose their values. If this is a message whose body contains text, that text remains visible in design mode.