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Outlook 2013 Contacts - comma-separated-field

I have a contact list that has a column entitled Mailing Address.
The format of data within this column is:
address1, address2,city,state zip
all in one line.  all in one column / field.

Yet, when I try to import new data from Excel / .csv, all I get is city, state zip
no address1, address2

I wonder how I did it before?  I have no idea!
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als315
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Can you upload your file (only few rows and remove any sensitive information)?
In outlook there is no Address1 Address2
You have for address following fields concerning Address
as per attached pic

gowflow
Address.jpg
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gowflow:  Yes, you are correct.  I was using Address1 Address2 as aliases.  However, in my Outlook I have a field called Mailing Address that has the full address in it .. with commas included.

als315: Which file?  .xlsx?  .csv?  .pst?  Here is an example taken from a .csv .
Example-Record.doc
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Avatar of Karl Timmermans (Outlook MVP 2012-2018)
Karl Timmermans (Outlook MVP 2012-2018)
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Karl Timmermans:  Very helpful!  Thank you!  I have always had a love/hate relationship with Outlook.  It seems a good contact manager of sorts but is SO hard to deal with and understand.  Based on your suggestions and those articles, I took my contact list and added ALL the address fields in the list view.  Lo and behold, there was data there I wasn't even aware of!

Is there a way to see which fields are NOT empty across all records, without showing them in the list view?
@Fred Marshall - Re: Is there a way to see which fields are NOT empty across all records, without showing them in the list view?

Not entirely sure what you're asking but if it's a "summary" of which fields have data within a contact folder, then the answer is no leastwise, not from within Outlook. What I think your asking about is a summary that's available in any of the ContactGenie Import/Export programs by selecting the folder and showing the fields as per the following scrnshot from ContactGenie QuickPort (no purchase is required to get this info - this is fully functional in "eval" mode).

Note, default mode is "message class centric" which means info applies to a specific message class within a given folder. In the event you only want the field summary regardless of a contact item's message class, select a folder to "export" followed by "Ignore Message Class" for the msg class/custom form to be used (that however negates the ability to get populated user-defined field info)


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gowflow:  Yes, I had just done that.

One key in dealing with Excel > Outlook is to use the same field names (which are dictated by Outlook).  It's easy enough to do on the Excel side.
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@Fred - re: One key in dealing with Excel > Outlook is to use the same field names (which are dictated by Outlook).  It's easy enough to do on the Excel side.

Actually, manipulating column names on the Excel side so that these "match" is probably one of the best ways to get unexpected results (ergo - running into a problem). There is absolutely no need for it as long as the fields are "manually mapped" using the <Map Custom Fields> option when it presents itself. Changing the field names in Excel can be prone to error and no one should depend on Outlook's "auto-mapping" without verifying that the fields you want are actually mapped. Can't count the number of times I've seen people report "Outlook doesn't work" because of pure dependence on auto-mapping AND making assumptions that the last import/export field map isn't in play that may be radically different from what is expected.
Yes, re: automapping.  I meant that you will get confused in your own head if you don't do that.  For example, what *is* User1 to me?!  If it's used in Excel then I can see what it is and won't forget and confuse it with User2 or User3, etc.  But, if I call it something else that's not related to Outlook then...  e.g. I call it Source and fill it with "fred" "linda", etc. Then is Source already in User1 or User2 or ......? when I import?
Certainly need to check the map.  I *have* seen unexpected automap results.

Another question:
Seems like a common task but I can't find (again since yesterday) how to fill a field across a number of contacts with the same information - like copy and paste.  Some contacts already have the entry and some don't.
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I don't have problems with import of csv file in Outlook 2016 (some fields were joined manually). May be it is problem of 2013 version?
User generated imagei.csv
@als315 - there is no issue in importing any data to any field as long as the fields are individually mapped.

Looking at your sample CSV file, would be interesting to know what fields were mapped to what, particularly as applied to the address related data. Your data shows a duplication of data having both individual columns for the address fields as well as having an "aggregate" column labeled "Mailing Address". In short, if you've mapped all the fields, you have duplication at a very minimum since there would be no need (and would be ill-advised) to map both the "aggregate" <Mailing Address> field along with the component fields that make it up..

Note about importing directly to any "aggregate field" such as "Business Address", "Home Address", "Other Address" - can only lead to problems since it will result in Outlook "parsing" the information as best it can to try and determine what is "street", "city" etc etc etc. The same applies to any of the other aggregate fields such as "FullName", "E-mail Address" etc (an aggregate field in Outlook is any one in the import/export field map that has a + sign beside it signifying that it is comprised of multiple underlying fields.

What is certain from this example is that auto-mapping" was definitely not used since only 6 of those fields would have been included - none of which involved either the address or email fields

As for this being anything related to OL'2016 - the Outlook import/export wizard has remained unchanged since being originally available going back to OL'2000 if memory serves me correctly
Yes.  That all seems what I've learned from this discussion.

A related question:
Seems like a common task but I can't find (again since yesterday) how to fill a field across a number of contacts with the same information - like copy and paste.  Some contacts already have the entry and some don't.
one way to do it is to Export all your contact into Excel do all your modifications there and then reimport to Outlook.
gowflow
Yes.  But there *is* a way to fill a column, and I hope parts of a column, in list view in Outlook.  But I'm not any good at it yet.  Well, I've done it but I can't do it...
@Fred re: your question regarding filing in a single field across multiple contacts with the same info

Provided one method in a previous reply. If it involves multiple fields, different values etc then #gowflow's suggestion would also work with the one caveat being that it's not a viable option when custom fields/forms are involved.

Other things to keep in mind with exporting/re-importing in the event it's applicable

1 - issue of duplicate items that may exist where "duplicate" is "as defined by Outlook"
2 - if all original contacts are deleted from the contact folder prior to re-importing, any contact that was a member of a Contact Group (aka Distribution List) will become one-off members of the original group (the EntryID for the contact will change)
3 - the "Creation Date" becomes the date of the re-import (something that is important to some people)
Thanks, I finally found there what I believe is the "best" approach:
1) Group on the field of interest.
2) Highlight all the members of a group that needs new data in the field.
3) Drag the group onto another group that has the new data.
    (A popup will tell you what's going to happen - very nice!)
4) Let go of the mouse button and you're done.
All you have to do is to make sure one record has the field information you want to use on other records.

I guess that's what Karl Timmermans said.  I was happy to learn it.