Just to be clear, are there certain years that need to be programmed and others that don't? If so, what years need it, what years don't?
When I ordered mine from Autozone, the guy even came out to the truck to get some info off the VIN, so I assume he ordered the exact one I need. Mine is a '97, is it plug and play??

 

if urs is a 97 you are fine.