Sorting Categories in Outlook 2003

Greetings, Pdeters.

What condition are you using?

Cheers!

? Not sure what you mean

I am going to Options - Advanced Find - the advance find dialog box comes up - I choose the "More Choices" tab - I click on the categories button - check the box for the ACU category that I created - it is added to the list - I hit OK - I hit the button "Find Now"

I then get all the contacts that have ACU as a category but I am also getting all the contacts that havae PACU as a category.

Just tried that but it did not work. Now I got nothing.

My contacts have more than 1 category assigned so if I put excactly ACU it brings up nothing.

My understanding (obviously wrong or goofed up somewhere along the line) is that By choosing the categoreis  in the More choices is actually going to choose the the category I click.

Is there anyway to do this?

My contacts have multiple categories assigned too.  I added ACU to one contact and PACU to another.  When I run the search you initially described it finds both contacts.  When I run the search I outlined in my last post it finds just the contact containing ACU.  

does the one that has ACU assigned have any other categories assigned?

Yes, both have 3+ categories.

I must be doing something wrong then.  Let me try again.

I open up my contact folder and go to find - "cntl + shift + F" - I am giong to the Advanced Tab - i choose define more criteria - i am selecting the field categories - condition - is (exactly) - value i put ACU - select "Find Now" - and I get nothing????

I tried the same thing with PACU and got only the PACU's that did not have other categories with them

Did you click "Add to List" before clicking "Find Now"?

Yes

Is there some setting I am missing?

This is how I got the contacts in. I imported them from Access but first I addess all the categories to the master list in outlook so that when I imported them they would already be there. I have added the Outlook Master reg to the other computers so that they hvae the master list of categories.

When I did a search of the ACU category along with (an exmaple of) MS (because some have this categorie) - so I put in MS, ACU - is (exactly) and that came up. Could it have something to do with importing????

I am going to try and create in another contact folder (short list of course) and see if this is happening there and could be a prob importing. - will get right back to let you know

I can't explain why the search is behaving differently.  I'm on Outlook 2003 also, so it's not a version difference.  Do you have all the patches and service packs applied?  I verified that what I'm seeing isn't a result of ACU being the first category in line.  I repeated the search using the last category in line and that worked too.  There is no setting I know of that affects search behavior.  

That'll be a good test.

It worked !!! Thank you for working through this with me but now I have a new problem. How do I get it to take the categories when I import !! It looks like they did - the check marks are there and everything and the master categories are already in the category list because i put them before hand - Any Ideas would really be appreciated. And again thanks for helping think this out

Oh, And an FYI choosniog the more choices and the categories you are able to choose the category by check box then and it works -

I have over 2300 contacts and I would hate to have to go in and select the categories all over again

You're welcome.  How did you import from Access?  

I was in Outlook and went - File - Import/Export - Import from another file or program - Selected Access - then the table I wanted to import and then mapped out the fields.
I wonder if i need to have the categoiresin the order that they are in the master list - example ACU, MS, PACU
I initially imported mixed - example MS, ACU, PAC
Will let you know if that makes a difference

Ok.  Were the categories entered in the master list before or after the import?

Yes - and they are exactly typed the same.

I tried putting in alpha order same as Category master. No luck.

It looks like it imports fine - each categor is check off in the list when you open up the contact. the categories all have a comma between them and then when you open it up they are all checked. example ACU, MS, PACU and then they are all checked but if i do a view by category it doesn't show up ACU then the MS and then PACU - they show up as one category in that view until I go into the contact can rechoose the category by clicking on the check mark.

There has to be something to get around this -  I hope

Sorryy did answer you questions. They were entered in the master before the import

Actually I have a different question now than I initally asked. I will post again. You did answer the initial question.

THanks for your help