*Bulletin ID*	A2E_179
*Last Review*	9/22/2009
*Revision*	1.0
*Previous IDs*	None
*Obsoletes*	None

Procedure for Exporting Custom Forms

Summary

If requested by DidItBetter Support Services, you may be required to export custom forms from Outlook in order for us to reproduce and analyze form-related issues. There is more than one way to export a form from Outlook. This bulletin details the method required by DidItBetter Support Services for us to provide you the best service.

The required format is the ”.fdm” format. The alternative format, ”.oft”, does not contain all of the information required to duplicate the form precisely.

The procedure is described in the Saving Forms heading below. The Installing Forms section is also included for completeness, however it is not required to export a custom form.

Description

The following is excerpted from “Microsoft Outlook Forms and Templates” by Sue Mosher, available at:

http://www.windowsitlibrary.com/Content/191/18/2.html (update: this site is no longer available)

Saving Forms

You’ve already learned how to save a form as an Outlook Template .oft file. You can also save a form as an .fdm file, which can be installed through the Forms Manager tool.

To save a form as an .fdm file, follow these steps:

Choose Tools, Options, then switch to the Manage Forms tab (Figure 18.6), and click the Manage Forms button to display the Forms Manager.

If the form you want to save isn’t in the Personal Forms library, click the Set button on the right side of the Forms Manager dialog box. In the Set Library To dialog box, choose the library or folder where you can find the form you want to save, then click OK.

In the Forms Manager dialog box, select the form you want to save, then click the Save As button.

In the Save As dialog box, enter a file name and, if needed, change the location for the form, then click OK to finish saving it as a Form Message .fdm file.

Installing Forms

Forms that have already been compiled or saved as .fdm files (see “Saving Forms”) can be installed from the Forms Manager.

To install a form with the Forms Manager, follow these steps:

Choose Tools, Options, then switch to the Manage Forms tab (Figure 18.6), and click the Manage Forms button to display the Forms Manager (Figure 18.7).

Click the Set button on the right side of the Forms Manager dialog box. In the Set Library To dialog box (Figure 18.8), choose the library or folder where you can find the form you want to save, then click OK.

In the Forms Manager dialog box, click the Install button.

In the Open dialog box, under “Files of type,” choose “Form Message (*.fdm),” and select the .fdm file for the form you want to install.

Click OK to complete the installation process.

Applies To

• Outlook
• Custom Forms
• .fdm files

Keywords: Custom Forms, fdm, oft, Outlook