OL2000: Why Outlook Displays a Security Warning Opening an Item

ID: Q207913

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Outlook 2000

SUMMARY

This article describes why Microsoft Outlook provides the following security warning when you open an item.

The form for this item has not been registered in this folder...

MORE INFORMATION

Outlook always prompts you before opening an item that contains Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) code if the item is from an unknown source. This methodology ensures that unsafe VBScript code cannot run on your computer without your explicit approval. Outlook bases the decision to display or not display a warning on the item's form design and where script, and the accompanying form definition, is actually stored.

If the form has been published in one of the forms libraries (organizational, personal, or folder), Outlook considers the form safe, and no warning appears. The author of the form had the appropriate privileges to publish the form, so the form is considered trusted.

If the VBScript code and form definition is carried within the item, Outlook considers the form unsafe, and the user receives a warning when opening the item.

When designing a forms solution, you ideally want to avoid having the VBScript warning message appear. If you are using a custom mail message form and you're also using Outlook in a Microsoft Exchange Server environment, ideally you should publish the form into the Organizational Forms Library so that it is available to all users within the organization. In addition to not having the warning appear, another benefit is that the form definition is not routed from user to user, which can save considerable network and server resources.

If you are using a "non-routed" form, such as a "contact for post" form, the form should typically be published into the folder which will store the items that are based on the form. For example, if you are creating a custom contact form that will be used to store shared contacts in an Exchange public folder, the form should be published in that public folder. One exception to this general rule is if you will be using the same custom form in many folders. In this case it may be advisable to publish the form to the Organizational Forms Library so there is only copy of the form to maintain.

Even if a form has been published to a forms library and the forms designer did not enable the Send form definition with item property on the form, it is possible that the form definition has unexpectedly been stored within the item. For more information about form definitions and how they can be stored within items, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q207896 OL2000: Working with Form Definitions and One-Off Forms

REFERENCES

For additional information about available resources and answers to commonly asked questions about Microsoft Outlook 2000 solutions, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q146636 OL2000: Questions About Custom Forms and Outlook Solutions

Additional query words: OutSol OutSol2000 enable disable macros OL2K

Keywords : kbdta Gnlsec
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbinfo