You can use forms to quickly and easily standardize the way information is distributed and collected electronically. For example, you can create a form that anyone within your organization can use to order supplies or to post information to a public folder. Microsoft Outlook provides built-in forms for sending messages and for storing contact information. You can use the New Message form to compose messages and the New Contact form to enter information for a contact. If you have sent an e-mail message or created an appointment in Outlook, you have used a form. Every Outlook item is based on a form.
You use the Outlook Forms design environment to create custom forms either from an item (based on a built-in form) or from an Office file. Use a built-in form to leverage functionality from the item associated with it รน for example, to include automatic name checking in a custom form, create it from a form based on a mail message. Make sure Microsoft Word isn't set as the e-mail editor because the Outlook Forms design environment is not available when you use that setting. To modify a form, you can add and remove fields, controls, options, and tabs. A form can be saved as a file (for use as a template or in another program) or in a forms library (to make the form available to others).
Developers can extend forms with ActiveX controls and put World Wide Web pages right on their forms by using Internet Control Pack controls. Forms can be programmed by using VBScript.
You cannot use Outlook Forms in Visual Basic and Microsoft Exchange, although you can use forms created with the Microsoft Exchange Forms Designer in Outlook.