OL97: How to Get Help Programming with Outlook

• Microsoft Outlook 97

SUMMARY

This article describes where to find information about customizing Outlook 97 forms and creating solutions with Outlook.

MORE INFORMATION

Outlook supports custom forms and Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript). Information on how to automate and customize Outlook to meet your needs is available from several sources. This article discusses the following resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• The Outlook Forms Help File
• The Outlook Object Model
• Outlook Visual Basic Help File
• The VBScript Web Site
• The Outlook Developer Forum Web Site
• The Microsoft KnowledgeBase
• Newsgroups
• Microsoft Press Books
• Microsoft Support Options

      - Microsoft Outlook Standard No-Charge Support
      - Office Developer Support for Microsoft Outlook
      - Microsoft Office Developer Consulting Line
  

• Solution Providers

   http://www.microsoft.com/

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

You can access a Microsoft Knowledge Base article covering frequently asked questions about Outlook custom forms and programming at:

   http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q170/7/83.asp

The Outlook Forms Help File

The Olfrmhlp.exe file contains a Outlook Help add-in with detailed information about using and creating forms in Outlook 97. For more information on obtaining this help file, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   Article-ID:   Q161082
   Title     :   OL97: Microsoft Outlook Forms Help Available on MSL

The Outlook Object Model

Chapter 5 of the "Microsoft Office 97/Visual Basic Programmer's Guide" discusses the Outlook object model, working with Outlook folders, items, and events, and using automation and VBScript. The Programmer's Guide is included with the "Microsoft Office 97, Developer's Edition." The "Office 97/Visual Basic Programmer's Guide" is available online at:

   http://www.microsoft.com/OfficeDev/Articles/Opg/

Outlook Visual Basic Help File

The Visual Basic Help file for Outlook is located in the ValuPack folder of your Office or Outlook CD. To install this Help file, do the following:

NOTE: If you installed Office or Outlook from a corporate network, ask your network administrator where the ValuPack files are located. If you installed the application from 3.5-inch disks, the ValuPack is not included. You can find these files on the Microsoft Web site; to do this, point to "Microsoft on the Web" on the Help menu, and then click Online Support.

1. Quit any open Help files.

2. Insert the Microsoft Office Compact Disc or the stand-alone Outlook Compact Disc into the drive.

3. In the ValuPack folder, double-click the MoreHelp folder.

4. Select the Vbaoutl.hlp and Vbaoutl.cnt files.

5. Copy these two files to C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office on your hard drive.

6. When asked whether you want to replace the existing versions of these files, click Yes.

7. To update the Table of Contents and the Index so that they include the topics in the files you just copied, on the Windows Start menu, click Find and then click Files or Folders.

8. In the Named box, type *.gid.

9. In the Look in box, type C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office, and then click Find Now.

10. When the file names appear at the bottom of the dialog, select all

        file names and click Delete on the File menu.
    

The VBScript Web Site

The VBScript site provides documentation, frequently asked questions, sample code, and free downloads for people using the VBScript language. The VBScript Web site is available at:

   http://www.microsoft.com/vbscript

The Outlook Developer Forum Web Site

The Microsoft Outlook Developer Forum provides technical information, resources, sample code, and tips for those creating Outlook solutions. The Outlook Developer Forum is located on the Microsoft Internet site at:

   http://www.microsoft.com/OutlookDev/

The Microsoft Knowledge Base

The Knowledge Base (KB) contains many answers to frequently-asked questions. You can access the Knowledge Base at the following Microsoft web site:

   http://support.microsoft.com/support/

Newsgroups

Peer-to-peer newsgroups are available to help you interact with other Outlook users. You can use any newsreader software to access these newsgroups. The Microsoft news server name is msnews.microsoft.com. Information about all Microsoft newsgroups is available on the Microsoft Internet site at:

   http://www.microsoft.com/support/news

• Programming Forms: microsoft.public.outlook97.program_forms
• Add-ins and Utilities: microsoft.public.outlook97.addin_utility

  http://www.microsoft.com/support/products/office/outlook/default-news.htm

Microsoft Press Books

Microsoft publishes many books for Office programmers. An excellent book oriented towards full-time Outlook developers is "Building Applications with Microsoft Outlook 97" (ISBN 1-57231-536-9) by Microsoft Press. Detailed information about this and other Microsoft Press Books is available on the Microsoft Press Internet site at:

   http://mspress.microsoft.com/mspress/books/b.htm

Microsoft Support Options

Microsoft provides a complete range of support options for Outlook customers. For more information on the complete range of support offerings, click Support Options & Phone Numbers on the Outlook Support Highlights page.

Within the Microsoft support offerings, the following options target the needs of developers:

   - Microsoft Outlook Standard No-Charge Support

     Microsoft provides unlimited no-charge support for usability
     questions related to Microsoft Outlook. If you have questions
     related to custom forms, VBScript or automation, support
     engineers can answer basic questions about how to get started
     creating custom forms and also discuss resources that are
     available for learning how to program Outlook.

   - Office Developer Support for Microsoft Outlook

     Microsoft provides each Microsoft Outlook product license with
     two no-charge Office Developer incidents (additional incidents
     can be purchased for $55.00). At the Office Developer level of
     support, support engineers will be able to assist with specific
     questions regarding customizing Outlook. Examples include
     VBScript syntax, specific questions regarding the Outlook object
     model, questions related to distributing a forms solution, and
     providing additional resources that would apply to a particular
     solution. Support engineers cannot provide consulting-level
     services, such as writing programming code specific to a custom
     solution or designing a part of a solution (although the engineer
     can suggest various approaches to achieve the desired end result).

   - Microsoft Office Developer Consulting Line

     The Microsoft Office Developer Consulting Line is available for
     customers who need development assistance using Microsoft Office
     products. For more information on the cost and what is included in
     this support option, please see the following article in the
     Microsoft Knowledge Base:

        Article-ID:   Q149976
        Title     :   ACC: Microsoft Office Developer Consulting Line

Solution Providers

For information about Solution Providers in your local area, contact the Microsoft Solution Provider Sales and Information line at (800)765-7768 in the US or (800)563-9048 in Canada. For information about support in other locations, contact a local Microsoft subsidiary.