Doubt whether I can develop Outlook plugin for Outlook 2003 and using VSTO 2005 SE

[PShah]

Hi

Here is my issue.

I have already developed a plugin using VSTO 2005 and Outlook 2003.
Now since VSTO 2005 SE has come out can i use that and port over my
code from VSTO 2005 to SE. Please keep in mind that as of now all my
users are still using Office (Outlook) 2003 and are planning to switch
to Office 2007 in the next few months.

The reason for porting is to have the ability to start programming for
Ribbon when the need arises down the line. Also one other major reason
is that SE seems to have better startup firing (where the code for
plugin is kept) than the existing VSTO.

I tried simulating this above scenario in the following ways:
Have Outlook 2003
Have VS 2005, VSTO 2005 SE and developing in C#
The startup method is different. Older uses ThisApplication_Startup
and the newer one uses ThisAdddin_Startup.

Just have a messagebox in the ThisAddin_Startup and when i try to
compile - it throws up an error on Microsoft.Office.Core and Outlook
(both of these possibly for 2007)

Please help !!!!!

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

Other than the change in startup procedure name and how you access the
Application object there should be no problems with the code. The handler
for startup now runs at the StartupComplete event rather than OnConnection,
but that should not be a problem.

Show your startup code, otherwise all we can do is guess.

 

[PShah]

Ken

Thanks for the reply.

The startup code is pretty simple and pasted below:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
public partial class ThisAddIn
{
private void ThisAddIn_Startup(object sender, System.EventArgs
e)
{
MessageBox.Show("I am up");
}
}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The issue is that I am not able to compile the code because it gives
the following 2 errors:
Under references - I get the yellow sign and cannot build

Microsoft.Office.Core
Outlook

As mentioend before -- > I only have Office (Outlook) 2003 installed
and no components for 2007.


When i do this same excercise in an environement which has VSTO 2005
(not SE) the references work fine.

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

You may need to start a new Outlook 2003 project in VSTO 2005 SE and then
copy your code into the relevant places in the new project. The behind the
scenes code in a VSTO project is pretty version specific, which is probably
the cause of the compilation errors.

 

[PShah]

Thanks Ken

That helped. I guess we have to physically sopy the code and use the
template for VSTO 2003 Office in the SE edition

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

I did it once by editing the hidden template code and that's something I
don't want to repeat. As an experiment it took a day to get things running
and compiling correctly.