Office 365 Outlook 2016 Distribution List Issue

[BobArch2]

Just a update (2017.12.03): the issue has not been fully resolved.

After logging into Outlook and the first time the Contact Group name is used, pressing the tab key to advance will eventually recognize the group name, after about 15-20 seconds. Subsequent use of the group name will be recognized immediately after pressing the tab key, but never popping up in the "recent list".

If the tab key is not used after entering the group name, the group is not recognized.

If one logs out of Outlook and logs back in at a later time everything starts over as noted above.

At least that is how it functions in my environment.

[HansV]

Very strange!

[DaveA]

Where are you clicking to get to this list?
I always click one of the icons (To, CC or BCC) and then when I type the search start working.

[BobArch2]

Where are you clicking to get to this list?
I always click one of the icons (To, CC or BCC) and then when I type the search start working.

If I follow your technique of clicking on any of the icons (To, CC or Bcc), my entire Contact Book is displayed where I can type in the name of an individual or Group list in the search box and while typing appropriate suggestions are displayed. I can then double click on the needed address or Group name which will populate the appropriate box at the bottom of the Contact list. Then clicking on OK will populate the address field in Outlook. Many steps... or,

I can click in Outlook's To, CC or Bcc address field where items in the Recent list (up to 5 selections) will instantly appear and I can select any of the 5 if they meet my needs. If none of the five are appropriate I can start typing in a known name and Outlook will automatically display matching items where I can select any found items. If nothing is found then I can use the Check Name feature to perform another search.

Other than the fact that the Recent List is limited to 5 individual addresses, the process works nicely taking nanoseconds (my guess) to work.

The main issue is not with individual addresses but with Group lists. As a test, I keyed in the To, CC or Bcc address field the name of the Group list. After entering the complete name of the Group list I just let it sit there, nothing pops up as a suggestion. After 60 seconds I stopped the test. As a second test, I entered the name and pressed the Tab key. That resulted in the appropriate Group list being identified and populated with 15-20 seconds. If in the same Outlook session I send out another email and type in the same Group list name, the field is populated in a mere second. But never shows up in the Recent List.

The whole problem started a couple of weeks back when Microsoft made changes to the Recent List. The change includes any photo that may be associated with the email address of an individual and restricting the list to 5 addresses. If there is no photo a grey circle appears. The modifications to the Recent List wiped out the facility of fast retrieval of Groups.

2017-12-04_11-33-39.png

[DaveA]

I think the best work around is to rename the Groups with a leading special character, so they all are at the top of the list.
I use a "_" and have since day one when Outlook 95 first came out. I have never relied on the "Search" in finding any group or address.

[BobArch2]

I think the best work around is to rename the Groups with a leading special character, so they all are at the top of the list.
I use a "_" and have since day one when Outlook 95 first came out. I have never relied on the "Search" in finding any group or address.

That approach would work fine in the method you use to get the address(es) via the contact names by clicking on the To, CC or Bcc icon. But my point is that the Group list concept that has worked for me through entering the name in the address field where Outlook's auto search and suggest function has always worked until the recent changes. At this moment I cannot remember which version of Office/Outlook gave birth to the auto-search function but my library does go back to Office 2000.

I agree that using a special leading character would place the item at the start of the contact list. But still does not pick up such named items in the auto-search function.

[BobArch2]

Problem resolved! Microsoft

Office 365 - Home 1710 Build 8625.2139 carries a release date of 2017.11.27, auto installed in my environment (as per Programs and Features) 2017.11.29.

1st But (ya just knew der was gonna be a BUT) the issue was still on my system yesterday 2017.12.04.
2nd BUT... as of today 2017.12.05, the Recent List now appears to have a limit of 7 addresses and no photo of the user.
3rd BUT... Contact Group now appears in the Recent List when typing starts in the address field of To, CC or Bcc. (No need to click on the To, CC or Bcc icon.)

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again

Sing it Barbra!

Barbra.png

[BobArch2]

The issue with the Distribution list as mentioned in the first message in this thread was resolved a few weeks after the reporting. In this thread I had also made this comment:

There were also changes made to the Recent list. When starting to type in a name a Recent list will pop up showing a photo (if available) of the user and is limited to 5 items in the Recent display. Unlike in the past when the Recent list seemed endless.

When the initial problem was corrected by MS, the feature to show an individual's photo was also eliminated ... not a major problem. A couple of days ago a new build of Office 365 was introduced: Version 1803 Build 9126.2116. This update has re-introduced the inclusion of a recipient's photo as noted below. There is a limit of 5 "recent" individuals. Probably due to the space used.

OutlookRecent.jpg