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Customize Details Templates

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Applies to: Exchange Server 2010

Use the Details Templates Editor to customize the client-side graphical user interface (GUI) presentation of object properties that are accessed by using address lists in the Microsoft Outlook client application. For example, when a user opens an address list in Outlook, the properties of a particular object are presented as defined by the details template in the Exchange organization. The objects can be customized by changing field sizes, adding or removing fields, adding or removing tabs, and rearranging fields. The layout of these templates may vary by language.

You can use the default details template or you can customize the template to better suit the needs of your users. Use the Details Templates Editor to customize the following Outlook objects:

  • Contacts
  • Users
  • Groups
  • Mailbox agents
  • Public folders
  • Search dialog boxes

Not what you're looking for? Try Managing Details Templates.

Customize the details template

You need to be assigned permissions before you can perform this procedure. To see what permissions you need, see the "Details templates" entry in the Mailbox Permissions topic.

  1. In the console tree, click Toolbox.

  2. In the result pane, click Details Templates Editor, and then in the action pane, click Open Tool.

  3. In the console tree of the Details Templates Editor, click Details Template.
    In the details pane, the following columns are displayed:

    • Language   This column lists the language in which the template was created.
    • Template Type   This column lists the type of template that you can customize.
    • Identity   This column lists the unique identity of the template.
    • Created   This column lists the date and time that the template was created.
    • Modified   This column lists the date and time that the template was last modified.

  4. To edit a template, click the template you want, and then, in the action pane, click Edit. For example, the English (United States) contacts details template is shown in the following figure.
    Default details template as viewed from Outlook 2007
    Default details template in Outlook 2007

  5. After you click Edit, there are several tasks you can perform to customize a details template:

    • To move an object in the designer pane, select the object, and then drag it to its new location on the template. As you move the object, you are provided with alignment lines.

    • To change a label's text, select the label in the design pane. In the properties pane, type the new text in the Text box. To create keyboard shortcuts, you can use the ampersand (&) symbol. Place the ampersand (&) before the letter that you want to use as the shortcut.

    • To change the size of an object, select the object, and then drag the sizing handles until the object is the shape and size you want.

    • To delete an object, select the object, and then press the DELETE key.

      Note

      The Details Templates Editor doesn't contain an Undo button, nor can you use a keyboard shortcut to undo an action. To undo an addition you made to the template, you must use the DELETE key. To undo a deletion, you must reapply the setting. You can also revert to the original settings by exiting the Details Templates Editor without saving your changes. If you want to undo changes after you have saved, you can restore the template. When you restore a template, all customization is lost, and the template is restored to its original configuration. For more information about how to restore the details template, see Restore a Details Template to the Default Configuration.

    • To add an "Edit" text boxes, list boxes, multi-valued drop-down boxes, or multi-valued list boxes, in the toolbox pane, drag the object to the design pane. Set the attribute of the object by clicking the attribute drop-down box in the properties pane and then selecting the attribute that will be used by Exchange.

      Note

      You must link the object to an attribute for it to be used by Exchange. In addition, the attribute determines the content that is displayed to the end user in Outlook. If you don't select an attribute, a random attribute is selected automatically.

    • To add a group box, drag the object to the design pane. Then, in the properties pane, type a name in the Text box. Use group boxes to group similar objects.

    • To add a tab to the template, right-click an existing tab, and then click Add Tab. A blank tab appears. To name the tab, type the name in the Text box in the properties pane.

    • To remove a tab from the template, right-click the tab, and then click Remove Tab. A warning appears. Click OK to confirm that you want to remove the tab.

    • To change the tabbing order of the objects on a tab so that users can use the TAB key to navigate the objects in the order you want, select the object in the design pane. Then, in the properties pane, use the TabIndex box to change the order.

      Note

      To make sure that users cannot use the TAB key to access the labels of an object (for example Name or Alias), change the order of the labels so that they are last in the tabbing order.

  6. To save changes to the details template, on the File menu, click Save.

  7. To close the template, on the File menu, click Exit.