Add-In for Outlook 2003

It looks simple, but it not that simple...when I mean not simple I mean the lack of information that you get from Microsoft to develop Add-in's, but as everything, after few hours of research you can get the chance of doing something nice customizing your Outlook to the limit.

I am personaly think, that Add-In's in Visual Studio are not developed yet, it seems that Visual Studio only creates a schema of what you need, but it doesm't give you any facility, well at the end of the day it is something that could be improve it in Visual Studio 2010 (I hope Mr. Bill will read this).

For this exercise I am going to create a ToolBar or Button with an image so, when you click it will display a message. You will end having something like this:




On Visual Studio 2005/2008 go to File->New ->Project->Other Project Types->Extensibility->Shared Add-In

Type a name and click on next, next,next...

You will end with a Visual Studio Solution.

Add a resource file, and insert an image resource on it, and call it "ToolBarIcon", this will be the image we will use for our button.

Create a new class and call it "OleCreateConverter.cs" and paste code below, after that go to the "Connect.cs" and paste the code I attatch.

Sometimes when you run these add-in's, they don't work, that is because Office 2003/2007 and Add-in's have a bug that Microsoft has not resolved yet...so even if you remove your profile, or the registry or reinstall Outlook... you will not able to make it work, so avoid to do experiments otherwiese you will have to install the entire operating system + office to keep working.

Anyway, if your Outlook becomes corrupted and you managed to make it work with add-in's please let me know how you did it.

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OleCreateConverter.cs
________________________________________________________
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Text;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using System.Windows.Forms;
using System.Drawing;

namespace WSSSaveAsOutlookAddIn
{
internal class OleCreateConverter
{

[DllImport("oleaut32.dll", EntryPoint = "OleCreatePictureIndirect",CharSet = CharSet.Ansi, ExactSpelling = true, PreserveSig = true)]
private static extern int OleCreatePictureIndirect([In] PictDescBitmap pictdesc, ref Guid iid, bool fOwn,[MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.Interface)] out object ppVoid);

const short _PictureTypeBitmap = 1;

[StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential)]
internal class PictDescBitmap
{
internal int cbSizeOfStruct = Marshal.SizeOf(typeof(PictDescBitmap));
internal int pictureType = _PictureTypeBitmap;
internal IntPtr hBitmap = IntPtr.Zero;
internal IntPtr hPalette = IntPtr.Zero;
internal int unused = 0;

internal PictDescBitmap(Bitmap bitmap)
{
this.hBitmap = bitmap.GetHbitmap();
}
}

public static stdole.IPictureDisp ImageToPictureDisp(Image image)
{
if (image == null || !(image is Bitmap))
{
return null;
}

PictDescBitmap pictDescBitmap = new PictDescBitmap((Bitmap)image);
object ppVoid = null;
Guid iPictureDispGuid = typeof(stdole.IPictureDisp).GUID;
OleCreatePictureIndirect(pictDescBitmap, ref iPictureDispGuid, true, out ppVoid);
stdole.IPictureDisp picture = (stdole.IPictureDisp)ppVoid;
return picture;
}


public static Image PictureDispToImage(stdole.IPictureDisp pictureDisp)
{
Image image = null;
if (pictureDisp != null && pictureDisp.Type == _PictureTypeBitmap)
{
IntPtr paletteHandle = new IntPtr(pictureDisp.hPal);
IntPtr bitmapHandle = new IntPtr(pictureDisp.Handle);
image = Image.FromHbitmap(bitmapHandle, paletteHandle);
}
return image;
}

}
}

________________________________________________________
Connect.cs
________________________________________________________
namespace WSSSaveAsOutlookAddIn
{
using System;
using Extensibility;
using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
using Microsoft.Office.Core;
using System.Reflection;

#region Read me for Add-in installation and setup information.
// When run, the Add-in wizard prepared the registry for the Add-in.
// At a later time, if the Add-in becomes unavailable for reasons such as:
// 1) You moved this project to a computer other than which is was originally created on.
// 2) You chose 'Yes' when presented with a message asking if you wish to remove the Add-in.
// 3) Registry corruption.
// you will need to re-register the Add-in by building the WSSSaveAsOutlookAddInSetup project,
// right click the project in the Solution Explorer, then choose install.
#endregion

///

/// The object for implementing an Add-in.
///

///
[GuidAttribute("0632A014-721A-4545-8B36-12D7CC4373B4"), ProgId("WSSSaveAsOutlookAddIn.Connect")]
public class Connect : Object, Extensibility.IDTExtensibility2
{
private WSSSaveAsWord.SaveAs _fSaveAsForm;

private CommandBarButton _cbbToolBarButton;

///

/// Implements the constructor for the Add-in object.
/// Place your initialization code within this method.
///

public Connect()
{
}

///

/// Implements the OnConnection method of the IDTExtensibility2 interface.
/// Receives notification that the Add-in is being loaded.
///

/// Root object of the host application.
///
public void OnConnection(object application, Extensibility.ext_ConnectMode connectMode, object addInInst, ref System.Array custom)
{
applicationObject = application;
addInInstance = addInInst;

if (connectMode != Extensibility.ext_ConnectMode.ext_cm_Startup)
{
OnStartupComplete(ref custom);
}


}

///

/// Implements the OnDisconnection method of the IDTExtensibility2 interface.
/// Receives notification that the Add-in is being unloaded.
///

///
public void OnDisconnection(Extensibility.ext_DisconnectMode disconnectMode, ref System.Array custom)
{
if (disconnectMode != Extensibility.ext_DisconnectMode.ext_dm_HostShutdown)
{
OnBeginShutdown(ref custom);
}
applicationObject = null;

}

///

/// Implements the OnAddInsUpdate method of the IDTExtensibility2 interface.
/// Receives notification that the collection of Add-ins has changed.
///

///
public void OnAddInsUpdate(ref System.Array custom)
{
}

///

/// Implements the OnStartupComplete method of the IDTExtensibility2 interface.
/// Receives notification that the host application has completed loading.
///

///
public void OnStartupComplete(ref System.Array custom)
{
//## The toolbar is declared
CommandBars oCommandBars;

//## The toolbar where our button will be added is declared
CommandBar oStandardBar;

try
{
//## We try to get the bar,
oCommandBars = (CommandBars)applicationObject.GetType().InvokeMember("CommandBars", BindingFlags.GetProperty, null, applicationObject, null);
}
catch (Exception)
{
//## Outlook has the CommandBars collection on the Explorer object.
object oActiveExplorer;
oActiveExplorer = applicationObject.GetType().InvokeMember("ActiveExplorer", BindingFlags.GetProperty, null, applicationObject, null);
oCommandBars = (CommandBars)oActiveExplorer.GetType().InvokeMember("CommandBars", BindingFlags.GetProperty, null, oActiveExplorer, null);
}

//## Set up a custom button on the "Standard" commandbar.
try
{
//## Its main toolbar Standard.
oStandardBar = oCommandBars["Standard"];
}
catch (Exception)
{
//## Access names its main toolbar Database.
oStandardBar = oCommandBars["Database"];
}

//## In case the button was not deleted, use the exiting one.
try
{
_cbbToolBarButton = (CommandBarButton)oStandardBar.Controls["Sharepoint Save"];
}
catch (Exception)
{
object omissing = System.Reflection.Missing.Value;

//## The command bar is added into the standar bar.
_cbbToolBarButton = (CommandBarButton)oStandardBar.Controls.Add(1, omissing, omissing, omissing, omissing);

//## The caption is set
_cbbToolBarButton.Caption = "Sharepoint Save";

//## We set the style...We want text and one icon!
_cbbToolBarButton.Style = MsoButtonStyle.msoButtonIconAndCaption;
}

// The following items are optional, but recommended.
//The Tag property lets you quickly find the control
//and helps MSO keep track of it when more than
//one application window is visible. The property is required
//by some Office applications and should be provided.
_cbbToolBarButton.Tag = "Sharepoint Save";

// The OnAction property is optional but recommended.
//It should be set to the ProgID of the add-in, so that if
//the add-in is not loaded when a user presses the button,
//MSO loads the add-in automatically and then raises
//the Click event for the add-in to handle.
_cbbToolBarButton.OnAction = "!";

//## We grab the image from our resources
System.Drawing.Image _imgToolBarImage =Properties.Resources.ToolBarIcon;

//## We make our button visible.
_cbbToolBarButton.Visible = true;

//## We convert from image to IPictureDisp
_cbbToolBarButton.Picture = OleCreateConverter.ImageToPictureDisp(_imgToolBarImage);

//## We set the event
_cbbToolBarButton.Click += new Microsoft.Office.Core._CommandBarButtonEvents_ClickEventHandler(this._cbbToolBarButton_Click);

object oName = applicationObject.GetType().InvokeMember("Name", BindingFlags.GetProperty, null, applicationObject, null);

// Display a simple message to show which application you started in.
// System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("This Addin is loaded by " + oName.ToString(), "MyCOMAddin");
oStandardBar = null;
oCommandBars = null;

}

///

/// Implements the OnBeginShutdown method of the IDTExtensibility2 interface.
/// Receives notification that the host application is being unloaded.
///

///
public void OnBeginShutdown(ref System.Array custom)
{
//## Unloading our stuff...
object omissing = System.Reflection.Missing.Value;
_cbbToolBarButton.Delete(omissing);
_cbbToolBarButton = null;

}

private void _cbbToolBarButton_Click(CommandBarButton cmdBarbutton, ref bool cancel)
{
//## Button Clicked
System.Windows.Forms.MessageBox.Show("_cbbToolBarButton was Clicked");
}


private object applicationObject;
private object addInInstance;
}
}