One Setup project for outlook 2003 AND 2007

[Neetu]

I Have two projects for 2003 and 2007 outlook.
Is it possible to create a single project which can work both for 2003 and
2007?

1. can I use shared addin project for this?
2. if not .. I want to detect which version of outlook user has at
installation
and run respective setup. how to do that ?
from where i can get more information on conditional Setups?

I had posted my question in Add-in-general section. Roady (MVP) sugested me
to post this query here. he also mentioned both 1 and 2 is possible.

If yes can any one give more details or Links where i can find more on this?


Suggestions are highly appriciated.

Thanks
Neetu

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

I almost never use separate projects, I almost always use just one.

You have to compile on a machine with the earliest version of Office/Outlook
where the code should run. Any later methods or properties added to the
object model can only be accessed using reflection (late binding). Otherwise
the code will run as is on Outlook 2007 when compiled on Outlook 2003.

 

[Neetu]

Thanks Ken,

so That I should use Shared Add-in project for creation of add-in 2003 and
2007 ofice.?

I would also like to know more on how I can use conditional installation like
a setup project which install either a word addin or outlook add-in ,
depending on user choice?

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

The addin type decision is up to you. A VSTO addin for Outlook 2003 will run
unchanged also in Outlook 2007 with no problems. The framework and shim
loader technologies are different but you end up with the same result, a COM
addin that's shimmed to load in its own AppDomain.

I answered your installer question in the installation group, but it all
really depends on the capabilities of whatever installer package you're
using.

 

[Mark B]

Is it much of a mission then to downgrade from:

VSTO 2008 to VS2005 SE to get an Outlook 2007 Addin to work on Outlook 2003?

I can think of one difference -- the ribbon. Apart from that is there a
definative list anywhere that lists all the differences?

----

From
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...5a-0e52-40f9-a2d1-eecd7a092dcb&displaylang=en:

Overview

This download (VSTOR30.exe) installs the Visual Studio Tools for the Office
system 3.0 Runtime, which is required to run VSTO solutions for the 2007
Microsoft Office system built using Microsoft Visual Studio 2008.

When installing the VSTO runtime on a non-English version of the operating
system, you should also install the appropriate language pack to see the
text of the messages from the VSTO runtime in that language, rather than
English.

Note: VSTO solutions built for use in Microsoft Office 2003 require the
Visual Studio 2005 Tools for Office Second Edition Runtime, not this one.

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

To get the code to run on both versions the addin must be compiled on a
machine with Outlook 2003 installed.

The Outlook 2007 help has a very useful what's new. Open the Outlook VBA
project and click F1 to open the help.

CommandBars code running on Outlook 2007 will be relegated to the AddIns tab
in Inspector ribbons, Explorer UI will run correctly. The object model is
vastly enhanced in Outlook 2007, in 2003 you have to use lower level API's
to do things you can do in 2007, such as PropertyAccessor.

See Andrew Whitechapel's blog posts (he's a member of the VSTO team) on
supporting multiple versions in one addin:

http://blogs.msdn.com/andreww/archi...e-add-in-for-multiple-versions-of-office.aspx

http://blogs.msdn.com/andreww/archi...or-multiple-office-versions-without-pias.aspx

 

[Mark B]

Thanks Ken that's very helpful.

I wonder how many people 'out-there (e.g. the general population)' are still
using Office 2003...?

I wonder when a new version of Office will arrive... 2010?

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

2010 is as good a guess as any.

My guess is that a heck of a lot more people are running Outlook 2003 than
are running Outlook 2007 at this time, but that's a guess.