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share code 02-Sep-2010 22:27

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Code level: advanced Code area: Outlook Expert Techniques Printer Friendly Version
Title: How to add context menu buttons
Description: Exposes the right-click context menu in an Explorer window so a new button can be added
Date: 11-Feb-2004 09:06
Code level: advanced
Code area: Outlook Expert Techniques
Posted by: Richard Kagerer
Body: 'Example of how to show add a custom button to the Microsoft Outlook context menu 'Copyright 2004, Leapbeyond Solutions Inc. 'Please send a quick message to sales@leapbeyond.com if you have found this example useful! ' 'Code by: Richard Kagerer ' 'WARNING: This code is provided for example purposes ONLY. Leapbeyond Solutions, 'nor the author, will be held liable for any damages resulting from its use. ' 'NOTE: This code is pretty much bare-bones. It has been stripped out of our toolbar 'management product. Error handling is minimal, and there are very many safety nets, 'version checks, and other practices which should be followed to successfully work with 'Outlok toolbars, that are not implemented below. ' 'To use this example, copy and paste the following code into the ThisOutlookSession 'object of a new VBA project in Outlook 2002 or Outlook 2003. Option Explicit 'CommandBars object of Active Explorer. Note we really should 'set this object whenever the active explorer window changes, but 'that's not done in this example. Private WithEvents ActiveExplorerCBars As CommandBars Private WithEvents ContextButton As CommandBarButton 'A flag, so we don't respond to our own changes in OnUpdate Private IgnoreCommandbarsChanges As Boolean 'Run this first Public Sub Install() Set ActiveExplorerCBars = ActiveExplorer.CommandBars End Sub Private Sub ContextButton_Click(ByVal Ctrl As Office.CommandBarButton, CancelDefault As Boolean) MsgBox "You clicked " & Ctrl.Caption End Sub 'This fires when the user right-clicks a contact, and also for a lot of other things! Private Sub ActiveExplorerCBars_OnUpdate() Dim bar As CommandBar If IgnoreCommandbarsChanges Then Exit Sub 'Try for the context menu On Error Resume Next Set bar = ActiveExplorerCBars.Item("Context Menu") On Error GoTo 0 If Not bar Is Nothing Then AddContextButton bar End If End Sub Private Sub AddContextButton(ContextMenu As CommandBar) Dim b As CommandBarButton Dim Control As CommandBarControl 'User cannot play with the Context Menu, so we know there is at most 'only one copy of the control there Set Control = ContextMenu.FindControl(Type:=MsoControlType.msoControlButton, Tag:="Test Button") If Control Is Nothing Then 'Unprotect context menu ChangingBar ContextMenu, Restore:=False 'Create the control Set Control = ContextMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton) 'Set up control Control.Tag = "Test Button" Control.Caption = "Test Button" Control.Priority = 1 Control.Visible = True 'Reprotect context menu ChangingBar ContextMenu, Restore:=True 'Hook the Click event Set ContextButton = Control Else 'Note that Outlook has a bad habbit of changing our Context Menu buttons 'to be priority dropped. Control.Priority = 1 End If End Sub 'Called once to prepare for changes to the command bar, then again with 'Restore = true once changes are complete. Private Sub ChangingBar(bar As CommandBar, Restore As Boolean) Static oldProtectFromCustomize, oldIgnore As Boolean If Restore Then 'Restore the Ignore Changes flag IgnoreCommandbarsChanges = oldIgnore 'Restore the protect-against-customization bit If oldProtectFromCustomize Then bar.Protection = _ bar.Protection And msoBarNoCustomize Else 'Store the old Ignore Changes flag oldIgnore = IgnoreCommandbarsChanges IgnoreCommandbarsChanges = True 'Store old protect-against-customization bit setting then clear 'CAUTION: Be careful not to alter the property if there is no need, 'as changing the Protection will cause any visible CommandBarPopup 'to disappear unless it is the popup we are altering. oldProtectFromCustomize = bar.Protection And msoBarNoCustomize If oldProtectFromCustomize Then bar.Protection = bar.Protection _ And Not msoBarNoCustomize End If End Sub
All 74comments

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	totalidea 16-Feb-2004 13:48 Brilliant. Thanks for that. There's no way to add my own icon to the new menu button, eh?
	Dixon Benny 24-Feb-2004 00:13 Very usefull one. Thanks a lot
	mjansen 04-Mar-2004 01:56 When I right click for the first time (after startup) I have this extra item in my context menu which is great. When I click a second time the new item is gone. How can I change the code so that the new Item does not dissapear. I 'have not been able to figure it ou yet (it is difficult to debug the code because of the onupdate event).
	Richard Kagerer 15-Mar-2004 16:29 totalidea: If you mean adding your own image, there's no method that I am aware of. If you're really keen, you might be able to use custom API calls and subclassing to get more low-level "windows-like" access to the toolbar, but that's beyond the scope of this article. mjansen: I double checked the example and it works here. Make sure you run the Install() sub. Also, I tested on Outlook 2002 SP-2; double check your version. Are you performing any other Outlook actions in between the clicks?
	mjansen 17-Mar-2004 01:53 I use Outlook 2000, maybe that's why it does not work. The install part does run ok and I do have an extra option in the context menu the first time but after calling it once ist dissapears.
	ddzina 17-Mar-2004 16:59 How do you determine what the item was that had been right clicked?
	Sue Mosher 18-Mar-2004 08:41 The currently selected item(s) should be in the ActiveExplorer.Selection collection.
	Arbiel 30-Mar-2004 02:21 I'm also using Outlook 2000 and experiencing the same difficulty as mjansen : the button only appears at the first occurence of the right click. I've made some debugging to find out that its priority has been dropped (IsPriorityDropped = True), even if the priority is set to 1.
	Arbiel 30-Mar-2004 02:33 Eureka : add a "bar.reset" command before adding the button New code : If Not bar Is Nothing Then bar.reset AddContextButton bar End If
	Arbiel 30-Mar-2004 02:55 Be careful. I might have a little over-estimated my skills. After having switched to another folder in the same explorer, the right click sends Outlook down. I don't know yet why, and I don't have presently enough time to investigate.
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