Open Outlook Custom Form (OFT) and read

[myteam]

I'm totally newbie with Autoit and still trying to learn how Autoit can help me to automate some of my work.

Here is what I'm trying to do:

- The oft files is always on desktop, only 1 oft files with random names

- Display Outlook custom form (OFT) (Outlook Form Template) in Outlook 2007

- Read data in the form (Name, Address, etc)

- Paste the data in other program specific text box (Name, Address, etc)

What I achieve so far:

- Assign Hotkey to execute the command

- Check if the outlook already open, and active

- Open the oft

Here some of my progress:

#Include <HotKey.au3>
Global Const $VK_ESCAPE = 0x1B
Global Const $VK_F1 = 0x70

; Assign "F1" switch to Open OFT in outlook
_HotKeyAssign($VK_F1, 'OpenOFT')
Func OpenOFT()
 IF WinExists("Microsoft Outlook") Then
 IF NOT WinActive("Microsoft Outlook") Then
 WinActivate("Microsoft Outlook")
            send ("{ALT}fno{DOWN 7}{Enter}")
        else
            send ("{ALT}fno{DOWN 7}{Enter}")
        EndIf
    Else
    MsgBox(0, "", "No Outlook Program Opened!")
 EndIf
EndFunc

; Assign "CTRL-ESC" with Quit()
_HotKeyAssign(BitOR($CK_CONTROL, $VK_ESCAPE), 'Quit')
While 1
    Sleep(10)
WEnd

Func Quit()
    Exit
EndFunc ;==>Quit

After searching the internet, I found more reliable way to open the OFT using VBA:

Sub MakeItem()
Set newItem = Application.CreateItemFromTemplate("c:\your path\open test.oft")
newItem.Display
Set newItem = Nothing
End Sub

But I don't know how to convert this to Autoit and how to read the OFT data.

- Should I send {TAB} to get to the input box and send ^c ?

- Send command to save the data in notepad and calling it back to paste in my other program by lines?

Any help would be appreciate.

[water]

Please have a look at the Outlook UDF. There you'll see how to access Outlook elements.

[myteam]

I already see that, in fact I already search outlook and see all the 40 page result for 3 days.

All the code are more toward mail and not custom form.

So it's kinda give me problem to use it in my script.

Need a better example to navigate and copy in Custom Form as well as converting the Open OFT VBA script.

[water]

The mentioned UDF gives you a lot of examples on how to access Outlook using the COM interface.

If your VBA code works then it should be easy to convert it to AutoIt:

$oOutlook = ObjCreate("Outlook.Application")
$oNewItem = $oOutlook.CreateItemFromTemplate("c:\your path\open test.oft")
$oNewItem.Display

More information can be found here.

Edited July 5, 2010 by water

[myteam]

#Include <HotKey.au3>
Global Const $VK_ESCAPE = 0x1B
Global Const $VK_F1 = 0x70

; Assign "F1" switch to Outlook
_HotKeyAssign($VK_F1, 'win1')
Func win1()
    IF WinExists("Outlook Today - Microsoft Outlook") Then
        IF NOT WinActive("Outlook Today - Microsoft Outlook") Then
        WinActivate("Outlook Today - Microsoft Outlook")
            $oOutlook = ObjCreate("Outlook.Application")
            $oNewItem = $oOutlook.CreateItemFromTemplate("c:\test.oft")
            $oNewItem.Display
        else
            $oOutlook = ObjCreate("Outlook.Application")
            $oNewItem = $oOutlook.CreateItemFromTemplate("c:\test.oft")
            $oNewItem.Display
        EndIf
    Else
    MsgBox(0, "", "No Outlook program Opened!")
    EndIf
EndFunc

; Assign "CTRL-ESC" with Quit()
_HotKeyAssign(BitOR($CK_CONTROL, $VK_ESCAPE), 'Quit')
While 1
    Sleep(10)
WEnd

Func Quit()
    Exit
EndFunc   ;==>Quit

Thank you so much! It work!

Now I need to study how to access them using COM.

[water]

From your first post I suspect you open a contact item. If this is true then the valid methods and properties can be found here.

To display the "fullname" property of the contact you will need something like:

$sFullName = $oNewItem.FullName
msgbox(0,"","Full Name: " & $sFullName)

Edited July 5, 2010 by water

[myteam]

Your code had working only for normal properties such as cc, subject, to

How I want to retieve data from custom properties? such as Textbox1?

I try with this code but cannot capture the data.

$sSolution = $oNewItem.UserProperties("TextBox17")
msgbox(0,"","Solution: " & $sSolution

[water]

I think it should read:

$sSolution = $oNewItem.UserProperties("TextBox17").Value
msgbox(0,"","Solution: " & $sSolution)

[myteam]

Not working

Keep getting Error: Object reference outside a "With" statement.

Edited: Yeah! Its working!!!! my mistake is wrong properties name xD Thanks you very much!

Can give me some idea how to code this?

Ex1: CU-0JP208-21833-943-01W8 and the output just "JP208" (take only the fifth number to number 8 and removing others - of course the number of the serial is random but will have same format just like this)

Ex2: #I love you water# and the output would be just "I love you water" without the # (actually I want to remove leading and trailing space) (It look like StringStripWS can do the trick)

Edited July 6, 2010 by myteam

[water]

Can give me some idea how to code this?

Ex1: CU-0JP208-21833-943-01W8 and the output just "JP208" (take only the fifth number to number 8 and removing others - of course the number of the serial is random but will have same format just like this)

If the string is always in the format ab-ABCDEF-12345-... and you always need BCDEF then you can use

$Result = StringMid($property,5,5)

[myteam]

It work!!! thanks again!!

Now need to study how to transfer the value to the IE form.

Can give me some reference for example?

Edited July 6, 2010 by myteam

[water]

Haven't done much with IE and AutoIt but have a look at the IE UDF (it's part of standard AutoIt).

_IEFormElementSetValue and _IEFormSubmit should get you started.

[myteam]

$oIE = _IEAttach ("Link Contact")
$oIEContactPerson = _IEGetObjByName($oIE, "LASTNAME1")
$oIEClearDistPhone1 = _IEGetObjByName($oIE, "PHONE")
$oIEClearDistPhone2 = _IEGetObjByName($oIE, "HOME_PHONE")
$oIEClearDistEmail = _IEGetObjByName($oIE, "EMAIL")
_IEFormElementSetValue($oIEContactPerson, $sClearDistContactPerson)
_IEFormElementSetValue($oIEClearDistPhone1, $sClearDistPhone1)
_IEFormElementSetValue($oIEClearDistPhone2, $sClearDistPhone2)
_IEFormElementSetValue($oIEClearDistEmail, $sClearDistEmail)

It Work!!! Really! Thank You again for advice me !!!

One more question,

Can give me some idea how to code this?

ex: water@google.com;myteam@yahoo.com

I just want the output just take the first mail "water@google.com", of course the number of character can be increase depend on the email name.

[water]

To split strings at a specific character please use function StringSplit. It returns an array. So:

$aMail = StringSplit("water@google.com;myteam@yahoo.com",";")

will return an array like:

$aMail[0] = 2

$aMail[1] = water@google.com

$aMail[2] = myteam@yahoo.com

Edited July 8, 2010 by water

[myteam]

Thanks for the idea.

Another help needed,

I have no problem to read address in the form that have textbox.

However, sometimes the form use label (caption) to show the address.

The problem is:

- cannot highlight the label (cannot copy)

- The data is in property: caption.

- There is no value to point to. (label don't have property name)

How can I read the label?

I try with

$sDistAddress1 = $oNewItem.Label28.caption

But get an error since the OFT form is read only.

Just to make thing clear, I want to read this data from the label (Circled)

Edited July 8, 2010 by myteam

[water]

I fear I can't help you with that.

I'm no Outlook guru and never before have worked with OFTs. Even Google didn't help me.

Sorry

One last question: What error message do you get? Could you post a hardcopy?

Edited July 8, 2010 by water

[myteam]

Error: The requested action with this object has failed.

I ready hope someone can help me read the label in outlook.

Search in google usually return result about changing label instead of reading it...

I try with this code also get same error

$sDistDistAddress1 = $oNewItem.Controls.items("Label28")

[water]

Can you post an example OFT so I can do some testing?

[myteam]

Sorry I cannot make the form publicly because of company policies.

Please check your inbox..

Hope you can come with some idea to read the address.

[water]

I think I got it

Use

$sLabelCaption = $oNewItem.GetInspector.ModifiedFormPages("Message").Controls("Label28").caption
ConsoleWrite($sLabelCaption & @CRLF)

to get the labels caption.

I got the hint from here - part 6.