Address book won't alphabetize names

[cris]

I am new to Entourage (and Mac), and I can't get my address book
contacts to be listed in alphabetical order. Sounds simple and I feel
like an idiot for not being able to figure it out, but I have clicked
on the "name" tab in the address book thinking this should do it - and
it doesn't. Any suggestions? I imported my addresses from a word file.
Thanks!

 

[Barry Wainwright [MVP]]

I am new to Entourage (and Mac), and I can't get my address book
contacts to be listed in alphabetical order. Sounds simple and I feel
like an idiot for not being able to figure it out, but I have clicked
on the "name" tab in the address book thinking this should do it - and
it doesn't. Any suggestions? I imported my addresses from a word file.
Thanks!

The list is alphabetised by surname, but listed in "firstname, Lastname"
format.

 

[mmmmark]

I am new to Entourage (and Mac), and I can't get my address book
contacts to be listed in alphabetical order. Sounds simple and I feel
like an idiot for not being able to figure it out, but I have clicked
on the "name" tab in the address book thinking this should do it - and
it doesn't. Any suggestions? I imported my addresses from a word file.
Thanks!

From a recent post by uber poster Paul Berkowitz...

"You can't [display in Last, First format]. Do note that the Name column
nevertheless _sorts_ by Last Name, not First Name."

-Mark

 

[Paul Berkowitz]

I am new to Entourage (and Mac), and I can't get my address book
contacts to be listed in alphabetical order. Sounds simple and I feel
like an idiot for not being able to figure it out, but I have clicked
on the "name" tab in the address book thinking this should do it - and
it doesn't. Any suggestions? I imported my addresses from a word file.
Thanks!

From a recent post by uber poster Paul Berkowitz...

"You can't [display in Last, First format]. Do note that the Name column
nevertheless _sorts_ by Last Name, not First Name."

"Recent"? Anyhow, there is a way to do it, just not with the Name column.
You can enter "LastName, FirstName" in the Nickname field - laboriously by
hand, or quickly via a script, and then sort by Nickname column. (Or do it
in a custom field, if you prefer.)

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.

 

[Barry Wainwright [MVP]]

I am new to Entourage (and Mac), and I can't get my address book
contacts to be listed in alphabetical order. Sounds simple and I feel
like an idiot for not being able to figure it out, but I have clicked
on the "name" tab in the address book thinking this should do it - and
it doesn't. Any suggestions? I imported my addresses from a word file.
Thanks!

From a recent post by uber poster Paul Berkowitz...

"You can't [display in Last, First format]. Do note that the Name column
nevertheless _sorts_ by Last Name, not First Name."

"Recent"? Anyhow, there is a way to do it, just not with the Name column.
You can enter "LastName, FirstName" in the Nickname field - laboriously by
hand, or quickly via a script, and then sort by Nickname column. (Or do it
in a custom field, if you prefer.)

Run this script every once in a while (you could set up a daily/weekly
schedule to do it) and set the address book view to show custom field 8. You
can then sort on this field in contact listings and all will be as you wish

 

[Barry Wainwright [MVP]]

I am new to Entourage (and Mac), and I can't get my address book
contacts to be listed in alphabetical order. Sounds simple and I feel
like an idiot for not being able to figure it out, but I have clicked
on the "name" tab in the address book thinking this should do it - and
it doesn't. Any suggestions? I imported my addresses from a word file.
Thanks!

From a recent post by uber poster Paul Berkowitz...

"You can't [display in Last, First format]. Do note that the Name column
nevertheless _sorts_ by Last Name, not First Name."

"Recent"? Anyhow, there is a way to do it, just not with the Name column.
You can enter "LastName, FirstName" in the Nickname field - laboriously by
hand, or quickly via a script, and then sort by Nickname column. (Or do it
in a custom field, if you prefer.)

Run this script every once in a while (you could set up a daily/weekly
schedule to do it) and set the address book view to show custom field 8. You
can then sort on this field in contact listings and all will be as you wish

I have updated the script and written up full instructions (including where
to download the script) on my blog:

The Entourage User's Weblog
<http://homepage.mac.com/barryw/weblog/weblog.html#unique-entry-id-20>

 

[Scott Melendez]

Barry,

However, Entourage does not alphabetize when there is only a Company name
listed. Company-only entries are listed at the top, but in no order.
Entourage displays the Company name in the regular Name field when viewing
Contacts.

Scott

On 1/30/06 8:50 AM, in article [email protected],


I am new to Entourage (and Mac), and I can't get my address book
contacts to be listed in alphabetical order. Sounds simple and I feel
like an idiot for not being able to figure it out, but I have clicked
on the "name" tab in the address book thinking this should do it - and
it doesn't. Any suggestions? I imported my addresses from a word file.
Thanks!

From a recent post by uber poster Paul Berkowitz...

"You can't [display in Last, First format]. Do note that the Name column
nevertheless _sorts_ by Last Name, not First Name."

"Recent"? Anyhow, there is a way to do it, just not with the Name column.
You can enter "LastName, FirstName" in the Nickname field - laboriously by
hand, or quickly via a script, and then sort by Nickname column. (Or do it
in a custom field, if you prefer.)

Run this script every once in a while (you could set up a daily/weekly
schedule to do it) and set the address book view to show custom field 8. You
can then sort on this field in contact listings and all will be as you wish

Here is the script:
This URL should load the script into script editor:
http://tinyurl.com/9tyes

If it doesn¹t copy/paste it from here:

-- Store Last Name-First Name v1.0
-- Barry Wainwright 01/11/2005

tell application "Microsoft Entourage"
set custom field eight name of address book 1 to "Last Name, First Name"
set theContacts to every contact whose custom field eight is ""
repeat with theContact in theContacts
set {firstName, lastName} to {first name, last name} of theContact

if lastName is "" then
set newName to firstName
else if firstName is "" then
set newName to lastName
else
set newName to lastName & ", " & firstName
end if
set custom field eight of theContact to newName
end repeat
end tell


Save the script as a compiled script & put it in the ŒEntourage Script Menu
Items¹ folder in your ŒMicrosoft User Data¹ folder. The script can be
manually run from the menu or called as an action from a schedule.

 

[Paul Berkowitz]

Same for email address "only", nickname "only", and IM address-"only". (The
priority is nickname, company, email address, IM address, if there's more
than one of these but no first or last name). In Entourage X they showed up
with a totally empty "Name" field in the address book, at the top. In 2004,
the substitute "name" is displayed, in the priority listed above, but - as
you say - still at the top, un-alphabetized, in an apparently random order.
(Actually, they're in order of creation.) It does seem a shame that this
useful improvement was handicapped by not absorbing the substitute names
into the alphabetized list, but instead still behaving as if they were
blank.

--
Paul Berkowitz
MVP MacOffice
Entourage FAQ Page: <http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq/index.html>
AppleScripts for Entourage: <http://macscripter.net/scriptbuilders/>

Please "Reply To Newsgroup" to reply to this message. Emails will be
ignored.

PLEASE always state which version of Microsoft Office you are using -
**2004**, X or 2001. It's often impossible to answer your questions
otherwise.



From: Scott Melendez <[email protected]>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.mac.office.entourage
Date: Thu, 09 Feb 2006 10:52:26 -0800
Conversation: Address book won't alphabetize names
Subject: Re: Address book won't alphabetize names

Barry,

However, Entourage does not alphabetize when there is only a Company name
listed. Company-only entries are listed at the top, but in no order.
Entourage displays the Company name in the regular Name field when viewing
Contacts.

Scott

On 1/30/06 8:50 AM, in article [email protected],


I am new to Entourage (and Mac), and I can't get my address book
contacts to be listed in alphabetical order. Sounds simple and I feel
like an idiot for not being able to figure it out, but I have clicked
on the "name" tab in the address book thinking this should do it - and
it doesn't. Any suggestions? I imported my addresses from a word file.
Thanks!

From a recent post by uber poster Paul Berkowitz...

"You can't [display in Last, First format]. Do note that the Name column
nevertheless _sorts_ by Last Name, not First Name."

"Recent"? Anyhow, there is a way to do it, just not with the Name column.
You can enter "LastName, FirstName" in the Nickname field - laboriously by
hand, or quickly via a script, and then sort by Nickname column. (Or do it
in a custom field, if you prefer.)

Run this script every once in a while (you could set up a daily/weekly
schedule to do it) and set the address book view to show custom field 8. You
can then sort on this field in contact listings and all will be as you wish

Here is the script:
This URL should load the script into script editor:
http://tinyurl.com/9tyes

If it doesn¹t copy/paste it from here:

-- Store Last Name-First Name v1.0
-- Barry Wainwright 01/11/2005

tell application "Microsoft Entourage"
set custom field eight name of address book 1 to "Last Name, First Name"
set theContacts to every contact whose custom field eight is ""
repeat with theContact in theContacts
set {firstName, lastName} to {first name, last name} of theContact

if lastName is "" then
set newName to firstName
else if firstName is "" then
set newName to lastName
else
set newName to lastName & ", " & firstName
end if
set custom field eight of theContact to newName
end repeat
end tell


Save the script as a compiled script & put it in the ŒEntourage Script Menu
Items¹ folder in your ŒMicrosoft User Data¹ folder. The script can be
manually run from the menu or called as an action from a schedule.

 

[Scott Melendez]

Though Outlook 2003 is almost incomprehensibly overly complex, Entourage
could benefit from a field like ³File As², which would allow one to combine
person and business names.

I didn¹t know company-only contacts were sorted by order of creation.

Barry, could your script also be used to sort these types of contacts?