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2007 Release: Despite the fact that most people will have incorporated these area code changes long ago I still get requests for this program. It has formatting features that can tidy up numbers so that, for instance, you can choose whether all area codes should have brackets around them or add international dialling prefixes to all UK numbers. This can aid the process of synchronising the Outlook contact database with personal organisers and mobile phones. The latest version includes a custom replacement feature, handy if you become affected by a new area code change or have used a number format that Outlook doesn't interpret properly. Another recent addition is an option to remove all spaces from the numbers as some mobile devices can't handle them. The techniques I developed for this program would be useful for any other projects that need to systematically retrieve and access or modify contact information from Microsoft's Outlook and Exchange products - just drop me a line. Although this program was written for the UK, I have produced modified versions for Australia & Belgium and will consider other localisations on request.
A number of UK area codes changed on April 22nd, 2000. This utility was designed to automatically update phone numbers held in Microsoft Outlook Contacts. It is compatible with all versions of Outlook up to & including Outlook 2007. The program incorporates all the area code changes for the UK Mainland & Northern Ireland and all changes to Pagers & Mobiles as detailed by British Telecom and NumberChange. In all over 80 code changes are catered for. In a typical run, The BIG Number took less than 1 minute to check a 1000 records, identifying 1200 numbers that needed correcting. If you were thinking of updating contacts by hand, think again....
The BIG Number updates all contacts that are stored in designated "Contacts" folders within an Outlook profile, whether stored in local personal folders (*.pst files) or on an Exchange Server. If you've more than one profile, simply open each one in turn and run the program. As well as implementing all the "Big Number" dialling code changes, The BIG Number includes a range of options to set the format of phone numbers to suit a variety of national and international conventions.
Recent versions of Outlook incorporate an access control feature to prevent viruses from harvesting email addresses. In order for The BIG Number to process your contacts you will need to grant permission when this dialog appears:-
The BIG Number produces a running log of all the changes it proposes or makes which can be quickly reviewed while the program is running or stored for later checking in Notepad/WordPad.
The BIG Number was developed with Visual Basic 6
(Service Pack 3). If you already have the VB6 runtime libraries
installed on your system you should be able to download and run the
executable file, otherwise download the full setup package. The current build is 1.4.0.17, created 05/06/2007 The BIG Number Demo (Executable File) (27Kb) The BIG Number Demo (Setup Package) (1.55Mb)
Steve MacGuire or use PayPal and I will send you a copy of the full program on receipt of payment. WARNING! In testing the program I've come across a number of non-standard ways that people format telephone numbers, particularly international ones. Although the program works correctly with all of these it is possible that an obscure style could be misinterpreted. If you find any problems with a simulated run, please let me know and I will attempt to update the program accordingly.
For more information contact me on 07931 263736 or by email to steve@{remove}samsoft.org.uk. NB remove {remove} from the preceeding address.
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