Your database includes phone numbers that are not formatted as desired. Perhaps your default format is specified as 555-555-5555 but many of the individual phone numbers are formatted as (555) 555-5555 and you would like to change all of these incorrectly formatted phone numbers to the default phone format.
You find that you can change the format on individual records by clicking the button at each phone field, clicking Edit Formats, and then clicking OK with the correct default format enabled. When you click OK to the 'Enter Phone Number' dialog box, the Phone field display changes to the correct format.
To change the format on multiple records, you must copy the phone numbers to an unused character field, replace the format for this phone field, and then copy those numbers back into the same phone field. This procedure can only be performed on one field of the Phone Data Type, at a time.
Before starting this procedure, it is strongly recommended that you create a back up of your database. For detailed information on backing up your ACT! database, refer to the following documents:
Follow the steps below to change the phone format on multiple records.
The Phone data still exists in the character field specified in step 3 above. If desired you can remove this data by following the steps below:
You find that you can change the format on individual records by clicking the button at each phone field, clicking Edit Formats, and then clicking OK with the correct default format enabled. When you click OK to the 'Enter Phone Number' dialog box, the Phone field display changes to the correct format.
To change the format on multiple records, you must copy the phone numbers to an unused character field, replace the format for this phone field, and then copy those numbers back into the same phone field. This procedure can only be performed on one field of the Phone Data Type, at a time.
Note: Changing the format for phone numbers in the Contact Detail view will not change the format of phone numbers in the Contact List view.
Before starting this procedure, it is strongly recommended that you create a back up of your database. For detailed information on backing up your ACT! database, refer to the following documents:
Title: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! Database
Answer ID: How to back up and restore an Act! database
Title: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! 2006 Database
Answer ID: The article that was linked here is no longer available, try searching our knowledgebase for similar terms.
Title: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! 2005 Database
Answer ID: The article that was linked here is no longer available, try searching our knowledgebase for similar terms.
Answer ID: How to back up and restore an Act! database
Title: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! 2006 Database
Answer ID: The article that was linked here is no longer available, try searching our knowledgebase for similar terms.
Title: How to Back Up and Restore an ACT! 2005 Database
Answer ID: The article that was linked here is no longer available, try searching our knowledgebase for similar terms.
Follow the steps below to change the phone format on multiple records.
- Click the Lookup menu, and then click All Contacts so that you are sure to be working with all records.
Note: This procedure will only change the formatting for numbers that are using the same country code as the default format. Phone numbers formatted for other countries will not be changed. - Click the Edit menu, and then click Copy Field. The Copy Data dialog box appears:
- Change the Copy contents of field to the desired Phone field and change the To field to an unused character field, such as User 3 (as illustrated above), and then click OK. The Replace/Swap/Copy dialog box appears:
- Click Yes to begin copying the contents of the Phone field, into the unused character field. Your phone numbers are now replicated into another field in your database. (User 3 in our example)
- Click the Edit menu, and then click Replace Field. The Replace Data dialog box appears:
- Change the Replace contents of field to the Phone field for which you wish to change the format, and then click the
button at the Value field. The Enter Phone Number dialog box appears:
- Click the Edit Formats... button. The Edit Formats dialog box appears:
- Ensure that the correct Format is enabled as Default, and then click OK.
- Click OK to the Enter Phone Number dialog box. The Replace Data dialog box re-appears and the Value field is blank. Click OK. The Replace/Swap/Copy dialog box re-appears:
- Click Yes. A progress indicator appears as the data is replaced. When complete, this Phone field is blank on all records.
- Click the Edit menu, and then click Copy Field. The Copy Data dialog box appears:
- Change the Copy contents of field to the character field you used to copy the phone data in step 3 above (User 3 in our example)
- Change the To field back to the original Phone field, and then click OK.The Replace/Swap/Copy dialog box re-appears. Click Yes to continue. The Data Loss warning appears:
- Click Yes to continue. A Status indicator appears as the data is copied back to the Phone field in the desired format.
The Phone data still exists in the character field specified in step 3 above. If desired you can remove this data by following the steps below:
- Click the Edit menu, and then click Replace Field. The Replace Data dialog box appears:
- Change the Replace contents of field to the character field containing the phone number data (User 3 in our example), leave the Value field blank, and then click OK. The Replace/Swap/Copy dialog box appears:
- Click Yes. A progress indicator appears as the data is removed. When complete, this field is blank on all records.