Create Outlook plugin

[bwgreen]

I am looking to create a small plugin for Outlook that would add an optional header and footer to a message after the user clicks "Send", but I can't figure out where to start. I want a selection box to appear with different choices, and based on the choice to add some specific lines to the message. We are running Outlook 2003, but I'd like it to work with '03 and '07 if possible.

Can anyone help with a starting point?

Thanks,

Brian

 

[donb01]

If you are running in a Microsoft Exchange environment you can set up rules on the server to append a footer to every message, but I don't know about a header. We have ours set up to insert a bunch of confidentiality/privacy stuff at the end of every E-mail.

If you are in a standalone environment you could create a signature file that has the text you want and put it on everyone's computer. Again, I don't know how to do a header/prefix...

 

[58sniper]

It depends on the version of Exchange. There are some third party solutions that will do either headers or footers.

But as for giving the user the ability to do it, don't forget that if you're using any kind of message security at the client level that the header/footer needs to be applied before any security. Or you'll end up with a message that appears as compromised.

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[bwgreen]

What I want to add is a classification to the body of the message. There are firewalls at various locations that look for certain strings in the message - we want to be able to add the appropriate ones, depending on what the user wants.

 

[58sniper]

Firewalls? Those aren't for routing emails.

What are the possible actions that a firewall would take? If you're using Exchange, you'd be better off upgrading to 2007 and using Transport Rules, which can take action based on all kinds of criteria.

Pat Richard MVP
Plan for performance, and capacity takes care of itself. Plan for capacity, and suffer poor performance.

http://www.ucblogs.net/blogs/exchange/

 

[bwgreen]

Our e-mail is on a secure network - I have to insert a header and footer based on the user's choice. The firewall doesn't do the scanning - we have a mail gateway that does that - poor choice of words on my part.

Upgrading to 2007 is not an option for me right now.