How to rearrange the addressbook template?

Question

I want to change the order of the fields in the Addressbook entries. When I go to the Template tab in the Addressbook Preferences and try to move them it doesn't work. The Addressbook Help files say to "Click field labels to change which fields appear or to change their order." Clicking only brings up a menu to choose to change the name of the field. I've tried using a variety of key combos as well: command+click, ctrl+click, opt+click etc. How DO you reorder the fields?
Mac Mini Intel core duo   Mac OS X (10.4.6)   1 gig RAM

Answer 1

Welcome to Apple Discussions.
You are on the right track, but the process is more cumbersome—and much more limited—than you expected. You cannot select and drag the fields or their labels. Instead, you must delete or add field within the bounds of any group already on the template, or of any group you add to it. The boundaries are shown by minus signs on red dots, or these symbols in combination with plus signs on green dots. Groups are separated by blank spaces or lines.
To 'change the order' of the fields you must reorder them by changing the labels of existing records and add or delete additional fields within the groups, choosing appropriate labels for them. You cannot change the order of the groups themselves. Maiden name, for example, will always appear first if enabled. Dates, with the next data label defaulting to anniversary, will always appear beneath the birthday field, if that field is on the template.
Groups [as defined above] appear in the body of a record in this order:
• Maiden Name
• Phone
• Email
• URL
• Birthday
• Dates
• Related names
• Instant Messaging
• Address
Those groups themselves cannot be reordered - only the fields within each group can be reordered by modifying the labels and adding or deleting fields.