Creating custom context menu item in Outlook

[mjolnirmarkiv]

Hi there!

Experienceing problems creating custom item in the context menu. Wondering if anyone could help?

Here's very rough example, on "F1" it creates menu bar control "New Item" and displays it (just to check if it works at all). On context menu display it creates "New Item" context menu control (it does indeed, $outlook.ActiveExplorer.CommandBars("Context Menu").Controls collection returns new control among others) but doesn't not display it in actual context menu.

So that'd be the problem right now -- I'm obviously missing smth here and trying to figure out how to display newly created item in the context menu.

expandcollapse popup

HotKeySet ("{F1}", "CreateMenuBarItem")

Global $outlook = ObjGet ("", "Outlook.Application")
If not IsObj ($outlook) Then Exit MsgBox (48, "Error", "Launch Outlook first!")
Global $outlook_event = ObjEvent ($outlook, "Outlook")

While 1
  Sleep (10)
WEnd

$outlook_event.Stop
$outlook_event = ""

Func OutlookItemContextMenuDisplay ($p_command_bar, $p_selection)
  ;MsoControlType constants: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/office/aa170976.aspx
  OutlookCommandBarAddItem ($p_command_bar, 1, "New Item", "NewItem")
  Switch @error
    Case 0
      ToolTip ("No errors!")
    Case 1
      ToolTip ("Specified command bar does not exists!")
    Case 2
      ToolTip ("Not allowed item type has been specified!")
    Case 3
      ToolTip ("Specified control already exists!")
    Case 4
      ToolTip ("Failed to create new control!")
  EndSwitch
EndFunc

Func OutlookCommandBarAddItem ($p_command_bar, $p_item_type, $p_item_caption, $p_item_tag, $p_item_faceid = 0, $p_item_visible = true, $p_item_id = 1, $p_item_param = "", $p_item_before = 1, $p_item_temp = false)
  ;Check if command bar object exists
  If not IsObj ($p_command_bar) Then Return SetError (1, 0, 0)
  ;Check if item type is within allowed values
  If $p_item_type < 1 or ($p_item_type > 5 and $p_item_type <> 10) Then Return SetError (2, 0, 0)
  ;Check if specified item already exists in the command bar
  ;See: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.core.commandbar.findcontrol.aspx
  If IsObj ($p_command_bar.FindControl($p_item_type, $p_item_id, $p_item_tag)) Then Return SetError (3, 0, 0)

  ;See: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/microsoft.office.core.commandbarcontrols.add.aspx
  Local $new_item = $p_command_bar.Controls.Add($p_item_type, $p_item_id, $p_item_param, $p_item_before, $p_item_temp)
  If not IsObj ($new_item) Then Return SetError (4, 0, 0)

  $new_item.Caption = $p_item_caption
  $new_item.Tag     = $p_item_tag
  $new_item.FaceId  = $p_item_faceid
  $new_item.Visible = $p_item_visible

  Return $new_item
EndFunc

Func CreateMenuBarItem ()
  Local $menu_bar = $outlook.ActiveExplorer.CommandBars("Menu Bar")
  OutlookCommandBarAddItem ($menu_bar, 1, "New Item", "NewItem")
EndFunc

Thanks in advance for the help!

P.S.: Just FYI, I have used this as template: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/HV080800048.aspx

Edited November 12, 2014 by mjolnirmarkiv

[mjolnirmarkiv]

Still trying to figure out the problem here when I have a minute to spare, won't mind a little help. Because I have no idea how Outlooks creates it's context menu in any given situtation before it shows it to the user. Thought that command bar returned by "ItemContextMenuDisplay" would do the trick, but regardless of how many custom controls I create there -- it won't show them.

[water]

Which version of AutoIt and Outlook do you run?

[mjolnirmarkiv]

 

Which version of AutoIt and Outlook do you run?

Hi water,

 

That'd be AutoIt 3.3.12.0 and Outlook 2010.

Edited November 15, 2014 by mjolnirmarkiv

[water]

I have the same environment here. And I get the same result: It doesn't work.

What exactly do you want to do?

Right click on an item in the explorer and have the "New Item" entry be displayed in the context menu?

[mjolnirmarkiv]

I have the same environment here. And I get the same result: It doesn't work.

What exactly do you want to do?

Right click on an item in the explorer and have the "New Item" entry be displayed in the context menu?

Yep, exactly. And then do whatever on that item click, should not be a problem I hope.

[water]

Seems it gets much more complex in Outlook 2010.

[water]

Maybe this article sheds some light on the subject.

Extending the User Interface in Outlook 2010

[mjolnirmarkiv]

Maybe this article sheds some light on the subject.

Extending the User Interface in Outlook 2010

Thank you, water! I'll look into it.