API Created Menus for Outlook thru' VB

Hello,

Anyone ou'there to help me? I'm doin with Outlook and VB..I want to add a Menu to the Standard Outlook Menus and implement a Call-Back function in VB Code to manipulate that menu item....Also I want to know if I use Command Bar object(in Outlook 97..in Outlook 2000 it works), will it support event handling? or how to make it support events? Help me plz

Nice.

You have to create an Addin for outlook. The addin is an ActiveX DLL. You get Outlook to run the addin by entering the following into the registry:

Quote:

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HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\AddIns\MyDLL.MyClass
"Description"="MyDescription"
"FriendlyName"="MyName"
"LoadBehavior"=dword:00000003

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You have to replace MyDLL.MyClass, "MyDescription" and "MyName" with the appropriate values of course.

When Outlook starts, it will start the class of the dll you have specified. In the class itself you can have:

Code:

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Option Explicit
Option Compare Text

Implements AddInDesignerObjects.IDTExtensibility2

Dim WithEvents mOutlook As Outlook.Application

Dim WithEvents mOutlookInspector As Outlook.Inspector
Dim WithEvents mOutlookExplorer As Outlook.Explorer
Dim WithEvents mExplorerButton As Office.CommandBarButton
Dim WithEvents mInspectorButton As Office.CommandBarButton
Dim WithEvents mOutlookInspectors As Outlook.Inspectors

Private Sub IDTExtensibility2_OnConnection(ByVal Application As Object, ByVal ConnectMode As AddInDesignerObjects.ext_ConnectMode, ByVal AddInInst As Object, custom() As Variant)
  Set mOutlook = Application
End Sub

Private Sub IDTExtensibility2_OnAddInsUpdate(custom() As Variant)
  Dim CommandBarItem As Office.CommandBar
  Dim Button As Office.CommandBarControl
 
  Dim FoundBar As Boolean
  Dim FoundButton As Boolean
 
  Set mOutlookExplorer = mOutlook.Application.ActiveExplorer
  Set mOutlookInspectors = mOutlook.Inspectors
 
  'Find out if the tool bar and button exist
  On Error Resume Next
  Set CommandBarItem = mOutlookExplorer.CommandBars("MyBar")
  If Err.Number = 0 Then
    For Each Button In CommandBarItem.Controls
      If Button.ID = 1 Then
        FoundButton = True
        Set mExplorerButton = Button
        Exit For
      End If
    Next Button
    FoundBar = True
  End If
 
  'create if any items are missing
  If FoundBar = False Then
    Set CommandBarItem = mOutlookExplorer.CommandBars.Add("MyBar", msoBarTop, , False)
  End If
 
  If FoundButton = False Then
    Set mExplorerButton = CommandBarItem.Controls.Add(msoControlButton, 1, , , False)
  End If
 
  'when I get here I have a toolbar and a button
  CommandBarItem.Visible = True
  Call Clipboard.SetData(picIcon.Picture, vbCFBitmap)
  With mExplorerButton
    .PasteFace
    .Caption = "MyCaption"
    .DescriptionText = "Description"
    .ToolTipText = "ToolTipText"
    .Style = msoButtonIconAndCaption
  End With

End Sub

Private Sub IDTExtensibility2_OnStartupComplete(custom() As Variant)

End Sub

Private Sub IDTExtensibility2_OnBeginShutdown(custom() As Variant)

End Sub

Private Sub IDTExtensibility2_OnDisconnection(ByVal RemoveMode As AddInDesignerObjects.ext_DisconnectMode, custom() As Variant)

End Sub

Private Sub mExplorerButton_Click(ByVal Ctrl As Office.CommandBarButton, CancelDefault As Boolean)
 
  Dim Item As Object
 
  If mOutlookExplorer.Selection.Count = 0 Then
    Call MsgBox("You have not selected any items.", vbExclamation)
    Exit Sub
  End If
 
  For Each Item In mOutlookExplorer.Selection
    'Do your stuff
  Next Item
 
End Sub

Private Sub mInspectorButton_Click(ByVal Ctrl As Office.CommandBarButton, CancelDefault As Boolean)
 
  Msgbox mOutlookInspector.CurrentItem.Subject
  'do other stuff with CurrentItem
 
End Sub

Private Sub mOutlookExplorer_Close()
  Dim TempForm as Form 

  For Each TempForm In Forms
    Unload TempForm
  Next TempForm

  Set mOutlook = Nothing
  Set mOutlookInspector = Nothing
  Set mOutlookExplorer = Nothing
  Set mExplorerButton = Nothing
  Set mInspectorButton = Nothing
  Set mOutlookInspectors = Nothing

End Sub

Private Sub mOutlookInspector_Close()
  On Error Resume Next
  Set mOutlookInspector = mOutlook.ActiveInspector
  Set mInspectorButton = mOutlookInspector.CommandBars.FindControl(, 1)
End Sub

Private Sub mOutlookInspector_Deactivate()
  On Error Resume Next
  Set mOutlookInspector = mOutlook.ActiveInspector
  Set mInspectorButton = mOutlookInspector.CommandBars.FindControl(, 1)
End Sub

Private Sub mOutlookInspectors_NewInspector(ByVal Inspector As Outlook.Inspector)
  Dim CommandBarItem As Office.CommandBar
  Dim Button As Office.CommandBarControl
 
  Dim FoundBar As Boolean
  Dim FoundButton As Boolean
 
  Set mOutlookInspector = Inspector
  'Find out if the tool bar and button exist
  On Error Resume Next
  Set CommandBarItem = Inspector.CommandBars("MyBar")
  If Err.Number = 0 Then
    For Each Button In CommandBarItem.Controls
      If Button.ID = 1 Then
        FoundButton = True
        Set mInspectorButton = Button
        Exit For
      End If
    Next Button
    FoundBar = True
  End If
 
  'create if any items are missing
  If FoundBar = False Then
    Set CommandBarItem = mOutlookInspector.CommandBars.Add("MyBar", msoBarTop, , False)
  End If
 
  If FoundButton = False Then
    Set mInspectorButton = CommandBarItem.Controls.Add(msoControlButton, 1, , , False)
  End If
 
  'when I get here I have a toolbar and a button
  CommandBarItem.Visible = True
  Call Clipboard.SetData(picIcon.Picture, vbCFBitmap)
  With mInspectorButton
    .PasteFace
    .Caption = "MyCaption"
    .DescriptionText = "Description"
    .ToolTipText = "ToolTipText"
    .Style = msoButtonIconAndCaption
  End With

End Sub

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Does this answer your question?

Shrog

This article helped me out - it has the method Shrog posted plus an additional way to do it.

http://support.microsoft.com/support.../Q238/2/28.ASP

Josh