Flex uses two fields to manage “First Name” and “Last Name” of Contacts. The “Full Name” calculated field is used in a variety of places to make it easier for users in the Contact list.
Middle Initial
Flex doesn’t include a middle Initial within the Full Name calculated field. The reason for this is it adds complexity for searching and in most cases it isn’t necessary”. If a user is searching for Bill Smith and the “Full Name” calculated field, which is used in the searching configuration, has a middle initial added (such as “Bill E. Smith”) then the result will be nothing. Users will need to search for First Name or Last Name or be aware of the initial – i.e. search for Bill E. or Bill E. Smith.
Follow these steps to setup a middle initial within the Full Name calculated field.
- Go to the List Settings for Contacts.
- Locate the Full Name calculated field.
- Change the calculated text to: “
=[First Name]&” “&[Middle Initial]&” “&[Last Name]”
Another option is is to leave the Full Name as is for searching and create another Full Name calculated field with the middle initial for display purposes.
Salutation
To create a Salutation Calculated field, use the syntax shown in the screen shot below.