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Microsoft Outlook 2007 Programming by Sue Mosher unleashes the flexibility of Outlook 2007, allowing administrators and end users to customize Outlook in the same way they've used macros and templates to customize other applications like Excel and Word. Network administrators will learn to design their own Outlook forms and generate reports on key Outlook settings. Power users will discover how VBA can automate repetitive tasks and tailor Outlook's functionality to their own procedures.
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ISBN: 1555583460, published by Digital Press, leading publishers of books on Exchange, Outlook, and other messaging issues. Other ordering links:
Amazon.com
Amazon.co.uk
ScienceDirect (as eBook in PDF format)
As a convenience to readers, the source code for the samples included in the book is available for download here (897kb .zip file).
Chapter 1: What you can do with Outlook
Why program with Outlook?
Outlook programming tools
Visual Basic for Applications
Custom Outlook forms
Visual Basic Scripting edition
Folder home pages
Office integration and other object models
How to start
Key Outlook programming components
Showing developer commands
Where’s the .NET code?
Chapter 2: The VBA Design Environment
VBA: The Basics
VBA security
Starting VBA
Saving your work and ending a VBA session
VBA windows
Project Explorer
Properties window
VBA user forms
Modules
Object Browser
Getting Help in VBA
Working with VBA projects
Backing up your work
Signing your project
Distributing VBA code to others
Chapter 3: Building Your First VBA Form
Understanding Outlook birthdays and anniversaries
Step 1: What controls do you need?
Step 2: Create the form
Exploring form properties
Should you use a modal or modeless form?
Step 3: Add user input controls
Step 4: Add command buttons
Basic command button properties
Adding code
Anatomy of a procedure
Step 5: Plan the next development stage
More on VBA form controls
Check box controls
Option buttons
List box and combo box controls
Accelerators and tab order
Chapter 4: Introducing Outlook Forms
Understanding the two types of custom forms
Starting the forms designer
The six standard Outlook forms
The contact form
The appointment form
The task form
The journal entry form
The message form
The post form
Additional forms
Common form pages
When to use which form
Working in the forms designer
Controls and the Control Toolbox
The Field Chooser
Getting forms design Help
Saving forms and ending a design session
Understanding published forms
Understanding .oft form template files
Creating your first custom contact form
Adding fields
Rearranging controls
Showing, hiding, and renaming pages
Setting control properties
Testing the form
Setting form properties
Saving and publishing the form
Using the form
Chapter 5: Introducing Form Regions
Understanding form regions
Controls for form regions
Creating your first form region
Registering and deploying form regions
Other form region manifest settings
Other considerations for deploying form regions
Limitations of form regions
Other ideas for form regions
Chapter 6: Extending Form Design with Fields and Controls
Understanding fields versus controls
Creating user-defined fields
Field types
Combination fields
Formula fields
Working with formula and combination fields
Example: Calculate a contact’s age
Adding and removing fields on Outlook forms
Binding a control to a field
Initial value
Simple validation
Validation formulas
Validation formula messages
Using form controls
Text boxes
Command buttons
Check boxes
Option buttons
Frames
List box and combo box controls
Spin button
Multi-page control
Image control
Outlook View Control
Some control and field limitations
Laying out compose and read pages
Chapter 7: Code Basics
Understanding when VBA code runs
VBA form events
What is a Sub anyway?
VBA Application-level events
VBA code modules
Macros to run programs on demand
“Run a script” rule procedures
Writing VBA Code
Variables
Outlook properties and methods
Subroutines versus functions
Operators
Referring to VBA forms and controls
Writing VBScript Code for Outlook forms
Declaring constants and variables
Custom form events
Adding VBScript code to an Outlook form
Cancelling events
Referring to Outlook form controls
Referring to Outlook item properties
Working with custom keywords properties
Creating custom properties programmatically
Writing Other Outlook Automation Code
Starting an Outlook Session
Limitations on Outlook automation
Chapter 8: Code Grammar 101
Option Explicit
Declaring variables and constants
Variable data types
Variable naming conventions
Understanding scope
Declaring constants
Writing procedures
Calling procedures
Passing arguments
Adding data types to parameters and functions
Making code reusable
Documenting your procedures
More code style tips
Working with Expressions and Functions
Elements of an expression
Using mathematical expressions
Working with strings
Extracting string parts
Comparing strings
Replacing parts of a string
Other useful string functions
Example: Parsing text from a structured text block
Working with dates and times
Basic date-related functions
Date extraction functions
Performing date arithmetic
Time zones and international dates
Using arrays, dictionaries, and the Split() and Join() functions
Working with multidimensional arrays
Building and using dictionaries
Exampe: Parsing structured text with an array and a dictionary
Controlling program flow
If … Then statements
Select Case statements
Do loops
For … Next loops
Example: Handling multiselect list boxes
For Each … Next loops for collections
GoTo statements
Providing feedback
Feedback with message boxes
Feedback with VBA forms
Example: Adding feedback to the birthday/anniversary reminder form
Getting user input
Using message boxes
Using input boxes
Using VBA forms
Working with files and other objects
Adding programming library references in VBA
Using the Scripting Runtime library
Using Windows Script Host techniques
Chapter 9: Handling Errors, Testing and Debugging
Understanding errors
Simple syntax errors
Compile errors
Runtime errors
Logic errors
Outlook bugs
Testing and debugging in VBA
Using breakpoints
Working in break mode
Using the Immediate window
Continuing program execution
Adding VBA error handlers
Debugging Outlook form VBScript code
Error handing in VBScript
Using the script debugger
Using VBA to prototype VBScript code
A recipe for VBA to VBScript code conversion
Chapter 10: Outlook Programming Basics
Introducing the Outlook object model
Launching the VBA Object Browser
Searching for objects and getting help
Outlook object and collection code techniques
Item method
Add method
Remove method
Example: Creating a voting button message
Releasing objects
Understanding Outlook security
Automation security
Form security
Attachment security
HTML message security
Folder home page security
Chapter 11: Responding to Outlook Events in VBA
Application object events
Using the Startup, MAPILogonComplete, and Quit events
Using NewMail and NewMailEx to handle incoming mail
Using the ItemSend event
Sidebar: Why doesn’t ItemSend always work?
Using the ItemLoad event
Writing handlers for other object events
Handling events in ThisOutlookSession
Handling events in class modules
Explorers and Explorer events
Example: Controlling the state of new folder windows
Example: Setting a default folder view
Inspectors and Inspector events
Example: Start the journal timer automatically
Example: Set a reminder on new all-day events
Folders, Folder, and Items events
Limitations of Items events
Example: Adding birthday and anniversary reminders
Processing incoming mail
Using a “run a script” rule
Using Application.NewMailEx
Using Items.ItemAdd
Using Application.Reminder and Reminders events
Example: Don’t snooze important reminders
Example: Processing messages and running other code on a schedule
Chapter 12: Coding Key Custom Form Scenarios
Working with Outlook item events
Understanding item event order
Preventing the user from making changes in a folder view
Locking an item for changes
Responding to user input on forms
Using the PropertyChange and CustomPropertyChange events
Handling Click events from unbound controls
Example: Creating a hyperlink on an Outlook form
Performing validation in Outlook form code
Example: A custom contact form with required categories
Handling form and control state issues
Checking item state in the Open
Storing and restoring control state
Handling state in a folder-based workflow
Chapter 13: Working with Stores, Explorers, and Folders
Information store concepts
Information store techniques
Adding a Personal Folders .pst file store
Removing a .pst store
Renaming a .pst store
Working with Explorers
Basic view techniques for Explorer windows
Setting the currently displayed folder
Accessing folders
Getting a default folder
Getting the current folder
Letting the user choose a folder
Example: Setting the save folder for a message
Getting a default folder from another Exchange mailbox
Getting a search folder
Walking the folder tree to get any folder
Returning an Exchange public folder
Returning shared folders using the navigation pane
Recursing folders
Working with folders
Working with folder properties
Creating and deleting folders
Moving and copying folders
Sharing a folder
Chapter 14: Using PropertyAccessor and StorageItem
Using the PropertyAccessor object
Example: Send a spam report
Where to find property schema names
Example: Set the default message class on a folder
Understanding PropertyAccessor vs. UserProperties
PropertyAccessor limitations and errors
Using the StorageItem object
StorageItem limitations
Example: Clean up one-off folder views
Chapter 15: Working with Inspectors and Items
Working with Inspectors
Creating items
Creating a new standard item
Creating a new item from a custom form
Creating a new item from an .oft template
Creating a new item from a vCard, iCalendar, or .msg file
Creating a new message from a Word or Excel document
Accessing items
Working with selected items
Getting the current item
Getting a particular item
Working with all the items in a folder
Example: Generate the next number in a sequence
Using the Table object
Example: Fill a list box from a Table
Example: Report on message response times
Using Item methods
Chapter 16: Searching for Outlook Items
Introduction to Outlook search methods
Building search strings
Using the Jet search syntax
Sidebar: Using the Query Building
Using the DASL search syntax
Searching for indexed content
Searching on item bodies, text, and keyword properties
Searching on date/time fields
Searching with custom properties
Using Items.Find and Items.Restrict
Using Table.FindRow and Table.Restrict
Using Explorer.Search
Using Application.AdvancedSearch
Example: Update all birthday and anniversary events
Creating a new search folder
Chapter 17: Working with Item Bodies
Basic item body techniques
Parsing text from a message body
Adding text to an item
Adding text to the Body property
Adding text to the HTMLBody property
Creating a formatted message
Creating an HTML-format message from a file
Sidebar: When you need to render an HTML message in the browser
Creating a message from a boilerplate template
Using WordEditor
Moving around in the Word editor
Example: Boilerplate reply that includes incoming text
Inserting hyperlinks
Inserting pictures
Working with Outlook signatures
Creating a signature
Inserting the default signature
Removing signature text
Chapter 18: Working with Recipients and Address Lists
Key recipient and address list objects
Understanding address lists
Displaying a contact folder as an address book
Example: Generate a report on Exchange users
Working with item recipients
Adding recipients
Example: Automatically add a Bcc recipient to an outgoing message
Understanding address resolution
Reading Recipient and AddressEntry information
Example: Create contacts for outgoing message recipients
Example: Respond to all the messages in a folder
Reading free/busy information
Showing the Select Names dialog
Example: Select contact links from a public folder
Chapter 19: Working with Attachments
Understanding Outlook attachments
Adding attachments to Outlook items
Viewing attachments in the user interface
Creating a “freedoc” in an Outlook folder
Working with attachments on existing items
Saving attachments to the file system
Example: Import embedded Outlook items
Example: Reply with attachments
Opening attachments
Working with hidden attachments
Chapter 20: Common Item Techniques
Using custom message forms
Controlling the settings for replies and forwards
Adding code to the Reply and Forward events
Working with voting buttons and other custom actions
Custom action properties
Writing code for custom action
Example: A vacation approval form
Using command buttons with custom actions
Sending a message with a specific account
Creating a meeting request
Assigning a task
Linking Outlook Items
Linking with a unique identifier
Understanding the Activities page
Using the Links collection
Example: Add a contact phone number to a task
Creating an annual event from a custom date field
Chapter 21: Deploying and Managing Outlook Forms
Understanding Outlook forms architecture
Understanding the forms cache
Launching a custom form
Managing Forms
Making a custom form the new global default
Converting existing items to use a custom form
Importing to a custom form
Managing custom fields
Deploying custom fields
Best practices for adding fields to custom forms
Deploying forms
Distributing forms to remote users
Publishing a custom form programmatically
Troubleshooting Outlook forms
Understanding one-off forms
Dealing with forms cache problems
Recovering a form from the forms cache
Chapter 22: Rules, Views, and Other Outlook Scripting Tasks
Why Outlook scripting is a challenge
Internal scripting with custom message forms
Deploying settings with a custom form
Using custom forms to generate reports
Working with Outlook Rules
Creating new rules
Running rules programmatically
Managing Folder Views
Setting view properties
Example: Create category-filtered views
Managing public folder views
Internal scripting with folder home pages
Chapter 23: Menus, Toolbars, and the Navigation Pane
Programming Outlook menus and toolbars
Working with submenus and other controls
Executing a toolbar command
Adding a new Explorer toolbar and controls
Sidebar: Where’s the Click event code?
Working with context menus
Example: Display a store’s data location
Example: Find related items
Working with the navigation pane and other Explorer panes
Showing and hiding panes
Working with navigation pane modules
Example: Show a favorite Contacts folder first
Chapter 24: Generating Reports on Outlook Data
Built-in report techniques
Printing from customized folder views
Copying data to Excel
Performing a Word mail merge
Coding reports with the Outlook object model
Sending output to Microsoft Excel
Understanding Excel report basics
Building a distribution list report
Formatting Outlook data for Excel
Sending output to Microsoft Word
Understanding Word report basics
Formatting Outlook data for Word
Using Word to build an invoice report
Building the invoice template
Coding the invoice report
Possible enhancements for the invoice report
