Outlook to Access via IPM.Post

[mattymatt79]

In outlook we are using a custom form saved to our public folders on our
exchange server and it works via an IPM.Post. I tried doing a Link Table in
Access to pull the information that its using into an Access database,
however its only importing who put the post in the folder.

What I'm trying to accomplish is take the info out of it, and put it in a
report either with Crystal Reports XI or Microsoft Access. Either which way,
the data isn't being pulled at all. Is there some way I can do this that will
allow me to view the data in a format that I want?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

The linked table method has major limitations, including the inability to show even all the reasonably important fields. While articles have been written on how to expand on this method's obvious features, I've never been able to duplicate the results. See http://www.outlookcode.com/d/database.htm#linkedtables .

That page will also give you other ideas on how to work with databases and Outlook together. You may need to write code or use a third-party tool that does the heavy lifting.

If Crystal can't see the fields, then you should check whether they've been defined in the folder, i.e. if you can see them in a folder view in Outlook.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[mattymatt79]

Thanks Sue,
To follow up, what do you mean wheather they've been defined in the folder,
if I open the post I can see the seperate fields, I know the post has all the
fields defined.
And by heavy lifting, what do you mean of the data. I figured since Exchange
is a database, I should be able to just pull the data out of it via a SQL
Statement, is there something I'm missing?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

To follow up, what do you mean wheather they've been defined in the folder,

if I open the post I can see the seperate fields, I know the post has all the
fields defined.

But can you see them in the folder view?

And by heavy lifting, what do you mean of the data. I figured since Exchange
is a database, I should be able to just pull the data out of it via a SQL
Statement, is there something I'm missing?

I think you'll run into the same issues as with linked tables. Instead, if this is a client application, consider using Outlook objects to iterate the folder or Redemption's (http://www.dimastr.com/redemption/) new RSO API.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[mattymatt79]

When I open it up on \\exchange and drill down to the folder under public
folders, all I see are the individual posts, each post has its own file, is
that what you're refering to?

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

You're getting warmer. Now you need to create or modify a table view to add your custom fields to the view from the User-defined Fields in This Folder list. If they are no present in that list, then the fields are not defined at the folder level and will need to be added (with the New button on the Field Chooser) before you can use them anywhere but on an individual Outlook item.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[mattymatt79]

Ok,
I've been playing with this the majority of the day and well I can create
the table and it has the same field names and properties as the original in
Exchange, all that happens when I try and populate the data is the same thing
that happened with the linked table. I get who posted it, what date/time and
the size, none of the actual information that I tried to include in the
original post.
I realize I'm missing something here, just not sure as in what step. In
theroy I should be able to just pull the info from the fields since they're
defined in the actual document, or do I need to script it like when I was
trying to add a print button to this form so it printed with company letter
head using strMyField?

Completly lost on this one.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

You lost me. I don't know what you mean by "fields ... defined in the actual document." What document? How are you populating the data if you're no longer using the inadequate linked table method. In our last exchange, I was telling you how to use a table view in Outlook to confirm that a folder has the right custom fields defined. I don't what you did after that.
--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers

 

[mattymatt79]

I think in my lack of knowlege I combined a few different thoughts into a big
runon.
I can open the post item up and see the listing of the properties as user
defined. All are listed correctly. What I was meaning in my previous post is
I created a mirroed table in Access to see if I could link the information
that way, it still just combined the sender/date as in my first post.

I downloaded the items you were talking about earlier, outlookspy and
outlookredemption and I'm starting to understand how they all work and
combine themselves together.

What I don't understand is if the information is there in outlook, and the
fields are defined, why the information isn't comming across on the link. I
realize that outlook is limited but I thought by defining everything, that
would finish my problem.

 

[Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]]

What I don't understand is if the information is there in outlook, and the

fields are defined, why the information isn't comming across on the link. I
realize that outlook is limited but I thought by defining everything, that
would finish my problem.

Because the linked tables architecture is not designed to show any but a rudimentary set of fields without considerable tweaking, the kind of tweaking documented in the articles that I mentioned but have never been able to duplicate. Either you go down that road of painful tweaks and find more success than I did, or you need to pick a different road.

I can open the post item up and see the listing of the properties as user
defined. All are listed correctly.

This tells you nothing about whether the fields are defined in the Outlook folder. If they are not defined in the folder, all the tweaking in the world won't make them show up in a linked table. The procedure I outlined will tell you whether the field definitions are present in the folder.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003

and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers