I want to do something simple yet outlook makes it a nightmare. why ?

[Dave Hazelwood]

I wrote a custom envelope printer in VB6.

I thought it sensible that instead of having my own db for names and
addresses I would access the outlook contact information.

But it seems it is a nightmare to do this.

What should be as simple as reading a file/db or issuing an api call
appears to require special things like cdo 1.21, redemption, and more
as it seems only certain fields are available even then, etc,etc.

Is this the epidomy of bloatware or what ?

Why is this so ? Why does it have to be so ?

Or, am I stupid and missing something ?

I hope somebody can tell me it is easy and make me out to be a fool by
showing me a way to do it that does not take more code than my
entire application itself simply to read a list of names and addresses
from an external outlook source.

 

[Michael Bauer]

Hi Dave,

it is possible and even very easy accessing the OL contact infos. Maybe,
if your anger is gone, you can tell us a little clearer what you´re
trying to do.

What OL version do you talking about?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

Redemption is so simple and straightforward to use that I don't see what the
problem is.

 

[Dave Hazelwood]

Hi Sue,

Thanks, you are correct about Redemption. The problem is not the
programming but the complexity it adds to the documentation and to
the install for a mom and pop user who know not what they do most
of the time.

What is now a nice 10K wysiwyg program with a one click no dependency
install with a single page "manual" becomes one that has at least two
dependencies along with a ten page ? manual telling them how to find
and install CDO 1.21 and that needs to be packaged with Redemption
for which I must either buy a distribution license or document further
how they can get and install the free version themselves.

Why all of this simply to read a file/db of information? It reminds me
of the classic making a mountain out of a molehill.

Being a bit long in the tooth this also sets off bells in my head.

There is every likelyhood that 99% of the support required will not
be for my program but for CDO and Redemption issues. This puts me off
since I intended my program to be a useful and well used freeware
utility requiring little or no support because of its simplicity and
no nonsense install.

Most people (home users) who use outlook do not have CDO 1.21
installed, do not run exchange and do not have redemption.

I believe there should also be a no nonsense way to programmatically
access the outlook contact information directly so it can truely
become the universal source of system name and addresses for all
other applications instead of having multiple sources all over the
place.

Not having such a method adds complexity for both developers and end
users.

With respect to my program I guess I could take another approach
and trigger it directly from within outlook ? Perhaps with a button
on a form or passing it the address information when the user selects
a contact ? I would not need CDO or Redemption in this case ? Am I
right or wrong about that ?

I just want to keep it simple, and more for the user than myself.

 

[Michael Bauer]

Hi Dave,

all these info Sue has already collected:
http://www.outlookcode.com/d/sec.htm

 

[Dave hazelwood]

Michael it wasn't anger just frustration at somehow how even the most simple
things are made complicated these days even though they do not have to be.