Unlike the Contacts folder, where contacts can be displayed or sorted a number of different ways, lists of contacts in the Address Book are always sorted alphabetically. However, you can change the way contacts are displayed — and therefore change whether they're sorted alphabetically by first name, last name, or company. The default display option is First Last (for example, John Smith). The other display option is File As, shown in Figure 1. File As gives you a bit more flexibility — we'll explore that option further in the next section.

In Figure 2, you can see examples of the two different options in action. In this instance, File As is used to display names in the Last, First format.

You'll get a chance to go through the steps for changing the display in the practice session at the end of this lesson. We've also included them in the Quick Reference Card at the end of the course.

Notes   

• You can only use the File As option to change how your Contacts lists are displayed in the Address Book. You cannot change how names are displayed in other lists in the Address Book, such as the Global Address Book.
• If you have multiple Contacts lists in your Address Book, you should be aware that any display change will be applied to all of them.
• Because the Address Book is used mainly for e-mail addresses and fax numbers, contacts who don't have an e-mail address or fax number won't show up in the Address Book.