Deployment of addin for Outlook 2003 and 2007

[PP]

Hello Guys,
Is this possible to have a single solution of addin which support outlook
2003 and 2007 as well. I am thinking about the deployment scenario. We need
to do the same customization(UI Change) for both outlook version. As object
model is changed in both version, do we need to create two different setup or
we can have one setup with branch specific code???

Another doubt is should we go ahead with VSTO or with Shared-Addin project
type??My understanding says since its for outlook only so VSTO is right
choice.

We need to work with VS 2008.
Please suggest the best approch to do this.
Pankaj

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

VSTO is more version specific. Although a VSTO addin for Outlook 2003 will
run on Outlook 2007 it won't support the ribbon. A VSTO Outlook 2007 addin
won't run at all on Outlook 2003.

For support of multiple versions of Outlook in general a shared addin is a
better solution.

There are ways to support both versions and UI's in one piece of code. You
develop and compile on a machine that has Outlook 2003. Your code has to
test for version before it adds any command bar interfaces for Inspectors
and not do so if the runtime version is Outlook 2007. Your object model
accesses will be using the 2003 object model, although if you discover 2007
at runtime you can handle 2007 methods and properties using reflection.

For ribbon support in cases like this where the code is running on Outlook
2007 there are a couple of approaches. You can use a tlb extracted from the
Office 2007 dll that has the ribbon declarations, or you can use the method
shown by Andrew Whitechapel, who used to be on the VSTO team, of declaring
the ribbon interfaces as external declarations in your code.

See Andrew's blog posts on that at
http://blogs.msdn.com/andreww/archi...or-multiple-office-versions-without-pias.aspx

 

[PP]

Hello Ken,
Thank you for ur expert comments. So I will go ahead with Shared Addin.
I have taken a quick look on Andrew's blog, that u suggested and it seems a
very gud solution. Let me try it.
Thx again.

Pankaj

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

Just make sure you shim any shared managed code addin. VS 2008 includes a
shim wizard, for VS 2005 you have to download it. Shimming ensures your
addin has its own AppDomain so it's isolated from problems with other addins
and vice versa.