Change Contact's Email Display Name format

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Change Contact's Email Display Name format

The default email display name used to be "Full Name (Email1)", "Full Name (Email2)", "Full Name (Email3)" but beginning with Outlook 2003, is now "Full Name (email address)" or File As (email address), as selected in Tools, Account Settings, Address Books tab. Select Outlook Address Book and click Change to view or change the default for new contacts. You can choose between "First Last" or "File As" format.

You can use VBA to change your contacts so they all use the same format. Your choices are limited to Full name, Last First, FileAs, and Company. You can include the email address by adding this code to the format code: & " (" & .Email1Address & ")" .

Two formats in the code sample below are less than useful as Display name formats:

strFileAs = .CompanyName & " " & .FullName & " (" & .Email1Address & ")"

Results in a leading space if the Contact does not have a Company listed.

'strFileAs = .FileAs

Uses only the Company name in the display name when the FileAs format is "Company name (Fullname)".

Note that this code does not check for email addresses and may set a display name for contacts who don't have an email address.

VBA Sample

Press Alt+F11 to open the VBA editor then copy and paste into ThisOutlookSession. Uncomment the strFileAs line that uses the format you desire before running it.

This code was tested with Outlook 2007 and 2003. (May trigger the Email security prompts in Outlook 2003.)

Public Sub ChangeEmailDisplayName()
    Dim objOL As Outlook.Application
    Dim objNS As Outlook.NameSpace
    Dim objContact As Outlook.ContactItem
    Dim objItems As Outlook.Items
    Dim objContactsFolder As Outlook.MAPIFolder
    Dim obj As Object
    Dim strFirstName As String
    Dim strLastName As String
    Dim strFileAs As String

On Error Resume Next

Set objOL = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
    Set objNS = objOL.GetNamespace("MAPI")
    Set objContactsFolder = objNS.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderContacts)
    Set objItems = objContactsFolder.Items

For Each obj In objItems
        'Test for contact and not distribution list
        If obj.Class = olContact Then
            Set objContact = obj

With objContact
            ' Uncomment the  strFileAs line for the desired format 
            ' Add the email address to any string using 
            ' the following code:
            ' & " (" & .Email1Address & ")"
                
                'Firstname Lastname (email address) format
                ' strFileAs = .FullName & " (" & .Email1Address & ")"
               
                'Lastname, Firstname format
                ' strFileAs = .LastNameAndFirstName
               
                'Company name (email address) format
                ' strFileAs = .CompanyName & " (" & .Email1Address & ")"
                
                'Comapany Firstname Lastname (email address) format
                'the display name will have a leading space if 
                'the contact doesn't have a company name
                'strFileAs = .CompanyName & " " & .FullName & " (" & .Email1Address & ")"
                
                'File As format
                'Does not support Company (Fullname) format. 
                'Only Company name is used in the display name
                'strFileAs = .FileAs
                
               .Email1DisplayName= strFileAs

.Save
            End With
        End If

Err.Clear
    Next

Set objOL = Nothing
    Set objNS = Nothing
    Set obj = Nothing
    Set objContact = Nothing
    Set objItems = Nothing
    Set objContactsFolder = Nothing
End Sub

More Information

This code sample works on the Display name for the default email address (Email1) but can easily be changed to work with Email2 or Email3.

This code sample was created from Change Contact's File As format

Updated Mar 09 2009

Change Contact's Email Display Name format

VBA Sample

More Information

Updated Mar 09 2009

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Copyright Slipstick Systems. All rights reserved.
Send comments using our Feedback page