Dialing rules are ignored when you use the AutoDialer feature in Access

When you use the AutoDialer feature in Microsoft Access, the dialing rules that are set in Access are ignored.

For example, you may set a dialing rule to dial 9 so that you can access an outside phone line for a long-distance phone call. When you use the AutoDialer feature in Access to dial the long-distance phone call, the AutoDialer feature does not prefix the long-distance phone number with 9.

To work around this problem, create a form that has the functionality that is similar to the functionality of the AutoDialer feature, and then use the form. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start Access.
2. Create a new Access database.
3. In the Database window, click Forms in the Objects section.
4. In the right pane, double-click Create form in Design View.
5. Create a form. Name the form frmAutoDialXP. The frmAutoDialXP form must have a command button and a text box as follows:
   

   Form
   -----------------------------------
   Form Name: frmAutoDialXP
   Form Caption: AutoDialer XP
   
   Command Button
   ------------------------------------
   Name: Button_OK
   Caption: &OK
   
   Command Button
   ------------------------------------
   Name: Button_Cancel
   Caption: &Cancel
   
   Command Button
   ------------------------------------
   Name: Button_Setup
   Caption: &Setup...
   
   Text Box
   ------------------------------------
   Name: Text_PhoneNumber
   
   Text Box
   ------------------------------------
   Name: Text_Warn

6. Change the Caption property of the Text3 label to Phone number.
7. On the View menu, click Code.
8. Replace the existing code with the following code in the Visual Basic Editor:

   Option Compare Database
   Option Explicit
   
   'The code for this form requires the module 'basAutoDialXP' to work.
   
   Private Sub Button_OK_Click()
   On Error GoTo Button_OK_Click_Err
   
       ' Variable to hold the phone number.
       Dim stPhoneNumber As String
       ' Variable to hold the return code from the API call.
       Dim lResult As Long
       ' Variables to hold error messages.
       Dim stNTNotSupported As String
       Dim stErrorDialing As String
       Dim stInvalidChars As String
       
       stErrorDialing = "An error occurred when dialing the phone number."
       
       'Set the phone number to the value that is shown in the form.
       stPhoneNumber = Nz(Me.Text_PhoneNumber.Value)
       
       lResult = tapiRequestMakeCall(stPhoneNumber, "", "", "")
       If lResult <> 0 Then
           MsgBox stErrorDialing, vbOKOnly + vbInformation
           GoTo Button_OK_Click_Exit
       End If
       
   Button_OK_Click_Exit:
       'Uncomment to automatically close frmAutoDialXP.
       DoCmd.Close acForm, Me.Name
       Exit Sub
       
   Button_OK_Click_Err:
       sDisplayError Err.Number, Err.Description
       Resume Button_OK_Click_Exit
   
   End Sub
   
   Private Sub Button_Cancel_Click()
   On Error Resume Next
       DoCmd.Close acForm, Me.Name
   End Sub
   
   Private Sub Button_Setup_Click()
   On Error GoTo Button_Setup_Click_Err
       Shell "control.exe modem.cpl", WindowStyle:=1
   Button_Setup_Click_Exit:
       Exit Sub
   Button_Setup_Click_Err:
       sDisplayError Err.Number, Err.Description
       Resume Button_Setup_Click_Exit
   End Sub
   
   Private Function FValidPhoneNumber(ByRef stPhoneNumber As String) As Boolean
       
       Dim ich As Integer
       Dim ichLen As Integer
       Dim stCh As String
       Dim stPhoneClean As String
       Dim stValidChars As String
       Dim boolInvalidCharsFound As Boolean
       
       'Get the length of the phone number that is based on the number of characters.
       ichLen = Len(stPhoneNumber)
       
       'Initialize variables.
       stPhoneClean = ""
       boolInvalidCharsFound = True
       
       'This routine loops through each character in the phone number and then strips non-valid characters.
        'Non-valid characters are letters and characters that are not in the strValidChars variable.
   
       stValidChars = "01234567890- ,*#+()"
       
       For ich = 1 To ichLen
           stCh = Mid$(stPhoneNumber, ich, 1)
           If InStr(stValidChars, stCh) > 0 Then
               stPhoneClean = stPhoneClean & stCh
           Else
               boolInvalidCharsFound = False
           End If
       Next ich
       
       'Set the phone number to the revised phone number.
       stPhoneNumber = stPhoneClean
       
       FValidPhoneNumber = boolInvalidCharsFound
       'FValidPhoneNumber = (Len(stPhoneClean) > 0)
       
   End Function
   
   Private Sub Form_Load()
   
   'This code makes an educated guess as to the type of phone number that is being 
   'passed and then tries to apply the correct canonical format.
   'You must examine this code and then make any changes that you may have to.
   
       Dim strPhoneInput As String
       Dim strPhoneCanon As String
       Dim boolPhoneWarn As Boolean
       Dim strPhoneWarn As String
       Dim intPhoneInputLen As Integer
       
       'Set initial values.
       strPhoneInput = Nz(Me.OpenArgs, "")
       boolPhoneWarn = False
       strPhoneWarn = "This phone number may not dial correctly. " & _
                      "Double check the phone number. Make sure that the phone number conforms " & _
                      "to the correct canonical format, and that the phone number does not contain non-valid characters." & vbCrLf & _
                      "Example: +1 (425) 555-0187"
                      
       'Check for non-valid characters.
       If Not FValidPhoneNumber(strPhoneInput) Then
           boolPhoneWarn = True
       End If
       
       intPhoneInputLen = Len(strPhoneInput)
   
       Select Case intPhoneInputLen
           Case 0
               'No phone number is passed.
               strPhoneCanon = strPhoneInput
               boolPhoneWarn = True
           Case 7
               'Format = '5550187' Local Call
               strPhoneCanon = Left(strPhoneInput, 3) & "-" & Right(strPhoneInput, 4)
           Case 8
               'Format = '555-0187' Local Call
               strPhoneCanon = strPhoneInput
           Case 10
               'Format = '7045550187'
               strPhoneCanon = "+1 (" & Left(strPhoneInput, 3) & ") " & Mid(strPhoneInput, 4, 3) & "-" & Right(strPhoneInput, 4)
           Case 12
               'Format = '(704)5550187' or '704 555-0187' or '704-555-0187'
               If InStr(1, strPhoneInput, "(") > 0 Then
                   strPhoneCanon = "+1 " & Left(strPhoneInput, 5) & " " & Mid(strPhoneInput, 6, 3) & "-" & Right(strPhoneInput, 4)
               ElseIf Mid(strPhoneInput, 4, 1) = Chr(32) Then
                   strPhoneCanon = "+1 (" & Left(strPhoneInput, 3) & ")" & " " & Mid(strPhoneInput, 5)
               Else
                   strPhoneCanon = "+1 (" & Left(strPhoneInput, 3) & ") " & Mid(strPhoneInput, 5)
               End If
           Case 13
               'Format = '(704)555-0187'
               strPhoneCanon = "+1 " & Left(strPhoneInput, 5) & " " & Right(strPhoneInput, 8)
           Case 14
               'Format = '(704) 555-0187'
               strPhoneCanon = "+1 " & strPhoneInput
           Case 17
               'Format = '+1 (704) 555-0187'
               strPhoneCanon = strPhoneInput
           Case Else
               strPhoneCanon = strPhoneInput
               boolPhoneWarn = True
       End Select
       
       If boolPhoneWarn = True Then
           Me.Text_Warn.Value = strPhoneWarn
       End If
       
       Me.Text_PhoneNumber.Value = strPhoneCanon
       
   Form_Load_Exit:
       Exit Sub
   
   Form_Load_Err:
       sDisplayError Err.Number, Err.Description
       Resume Form_Load_Exit
   End Sub

9. On the File menu, click Close and Return to Microsoft Office Access.
10. In the Database window, click Save on the File menu.
11. In the Save As dialog box, type frmAutoDialXP in the Form Name box, and then click OK.
12. On the File menu, click Close.
13. In the Database window, click Modules in the Objects section.
14. Click New.
15. Replace the existing code with the following code in the Visual Basic Editor:

    Option Compare Database
    Option Explicit
    
    'This module is required for the revised AutoDial form (frmAutoDialXP)
    'that replaces the one that is included with Access.
    'This AutoDial feature is compatible with Microsoft Windows 2000 dialing rules and with Windows XP dialing rules.
    
    'API Function Declaration.
    Declare Function tapiRequestMakeCall Lib "tapi32" _
        (ByVal lpszDestAddress As String, _
        ByVal lpszAppName As String, _
        ByVal lpszCalledParty As String, _
        ByVal lpszComment As String) As Long
    
    'Function to open frmAutoDialXP.
    Function sOpenDialer(strPhoneNumber As String)
        DoCmd.OpenForm "frmAutoDialXP", acNormal, , , , acDialog, strPhoneNumber
    End Function
    
     'Function to display error messages.
    Function sDisplayError(strErrNumber As String, strErrDescription As String)
        MsgBox "An error has occurred." & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
               "Error Number: " & strErrNumber & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
               "Error Description: " & strErrDescription, vbOKOnly + vbExclamation
    End Function
    

16. On the File menu, click Save <database name>.
17. In the Save As dialog box, type basAutoDialXP in the Module Name box, and then click OK.
18. On the File menu, click Close and Return to Microsoft Office Access.
19. Add an AutoDial button to the frmAutoDialXP form. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. In the Database window, click Forms under Objects.
    2. In the right pane, locate the frmAutoDialXP form. Right-click the frmAutoDialXP form, and then click Design View.
    3. Add a command button to the frmAutoDialXP form.
    4. In the Command Button Wizard, click Miscellaneous under Categories.
    5. Under Actions, click AutoDial, and then click Finish.
20. On the View menu, click Code.
21. Locate the following code:

    Application.Run "utility.wlib_AutoDial", stDialStr

    Replace the previous code with the following code:

    sOpenDialer (stDialStr)

22. On the File menu, click Save <database name>.
23. On the File menu, click Close and Return to Microsoft Office Access.
24. Open the frmAutoDialXP form.
25. In the Phone number box, type +1 (09) 425-5550187, and then click OK.

Steps to reproduce the problem

1. To create a dialing rule, follow these steps:
   1. If you are using Windows 2000 or the Classic Start menu in Windows XP or in Windows Server 2003, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
      
      If you are using Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 and the menu is not the Classic Start menu, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
   2. In Control Panel, click Phone and Modem Options.
   3. On the Dialing Rules tab, click New to create a Location profile for the first time.
   4. In the Location box, type testLocation.
   5. In the Area code box, type 425.
   6. In the To access an outside line for long distance calls, dial box, type 9.
   7. Click OK.
   8. On the Phone and Modem Options, click OK.
2. Start Access.
3. Create a new database.
4. Create a new table. Name the table testTable.
   
   The columns details for the table follow:
   
   

   Field  name phoneNumber
   Data type text

5. Open the testTable table in Datasheet view.
6. In the phoneNumber column, type +1 (09) 425-5550187.
7. On the View menu, point to Toolbars, and then click Customize.
8. On the Commands tab, click Records in the Categories list.
9. In the Commands list, click AutoDialer, and then add AutoDialer to the Datasheet view toolbar.
10. Click Close.
11. In Datasheet view, click the phone number that you want to dial.
12. On the toolbar, click AutoDialer.
13. In the AutoDialer dialog box, click OK.
    
    Notice that the AutoDialer feature does not prefix the phone number with 9.

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: