Add-in Express™ Extensions
for Microsoft® Outlook®
Add-in Express Extensions for Outlook VCL components
The Add-in Express Extensions VCL for Outlook is a plug-in for Add-in Express VCL developed specially to modify Outlook mail, task, contact and calendar / appointment forms by adding custom Delphi forms to Microsoft Outlook Explorer and Inspector windows. It is based on a new extensible plug-in architecture implemented by Add-in Express VCL starting from version 2.7. The Extensions supports Delphi 5, 6, 7, Delphi 2005, 2006 and 2007.
The Extensions for Outlook is integrated with the add-in modules and adds its own wizards, components and modules to the add-in projects based on Add-in Express VCL, namely:
- A new Delphi component of the Add-in Express component palette - adxOlFormsManager.
- A new wizard, "ADX Outlook Form", to the "Add-in Express VCL" tab in the "New Items" dialog box (File | New | Other...).
- A new form class, TadxOlForm, that implements embedding custom forms into folder views and form windows.
- A new component, Outlook Forms Manager, that centralizes management functions for all Delphi forms embedded into Outlook windows.
See a flash video showing how to customize Outlook Inspector mail, task, contact and appointment forms.
A new component - adxOlFormsManager
The Add-in Express Extensions adds a new component to the Add-in Express tab in the Component Palette:
The "ADX Outlook Form" wizard and the TadxOlForm class
The Extensions for Outlook adds the ADX Outlook Form wizard to the "New Items" dialog box (File | New | Other...). This wizard adds a new form module (a descendant of TadxOlForm) and includes it in the add-in project. The TadxOlForm class is a special TForm descendant that can be embedded into Outlook Explorer and Outlook Inspector windows.
Outlook Forms Manager
All logic is concentrated in a special component, the Outlook Forms Manager (adxOlFormsManager), added from the "Add-in Express" Component Palette. this component centralizes and controls all Delphi forms to be embedded into Outlook folder views and Inspector forms. The Outlook Forms Manager includes the Items collection, and each item of this collection binds a custom form class (TadxOlForm) to the corresponding Outlook folder or / and form window (inspector window).
Binding custom Delphi forms to Outlook folders
The Items collection of the Outlook Forms Manager binds your Delphi form classes (TadxOlForm) to Outlook folders and / or Outlook forms. To bind your Delphi form to a folder you create a new item of the Items collection, add the form's unit to the Uses clause of the Add-in Module, select the class of the form class in the FormClassName property. To add a custom form to Outlook folders you specify one or all of the following properties: FolderName, FolderNames and ExplorerItemTypes. With a combination of these properties you can make your custom Outlook form show up only in the folders you need. I.e., if you specify ContactItem in the ExplorerItemTypes property and 'Personal Folders\Inbox' in the FolderName property, your form will show up for all contact folders AND the Inbox folder. Don't forget to specify the ExplorerLayout property.
Binding custom Delphi forms to Outlook form windows
To bind your Delphi form (TForm) to an Outlook folder, you create a new item of the Items collection (or use the existing one), add the form's unit to the Uses clause of the Add-in Module, select the form class name in the FormClassName property and specify the InspectorLayout property. You can also use the InspectorItemTypes (mail, appointment, contact, task etc), IspectorMessageClass (IPM.Note, IPM.Contact, IPM.Task etc.) and InspectorMessageClasses properties. Using a combination of these properties you can get your form to show up in the Outlook forms you need. I.e., if you specify 'IPM.Note.MyNote' and 'IPM.Note.MyNote2' in the InspectorMessageClasses property and Contact in the InspectorItemTypes property, your form will show up for two custom mail forms and for all (standard and custom) contact forms.
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