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How To Use Outlook .Net Assembly With F#
f#compiler.net

I've googled for this and failed to find any sample code. I've found lots of C# and VB.Net examples of this but I can't find any coded in F# and I can't quite seem to make the cognitive leap. I think I need to use the Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook.Application interface for the initial value assignment but when I try to build an object expression for that, it seems that it needs to implement something on the order of 72 different methods. This code is sort of a transliteration of some sample code which I found at [link:www.outlookcode.com]:

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#if INTERACTIVE

    #r @"C:\program files\microsoft visual studio 9.0\visual studio tools for Office\PIA\Office12\Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook.dll"

#endif

namespace catenacci.it 
   module OLAddIn =
   open Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook

   [<EntryPoint>]
   let Main args =

      let outlookClass = new Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook.ApplicationClass()
      let outlookNamespace = outlookClass.GetNamespace("MAPI")
      let missingObj = System.Reflection.Missing.Value

      // Logon to Namespace
      outlookNamespace.Logon(missingObj, missingObj, missingObj, missingObj)

      // Create a new Contact
      let newContact = new outlookClass.ContactItemClass(   // see note below 

         FullName = "Onorio Catenacci", 
         JobTitle = "Developer")

      // Save Contact
      newContact.Save()

      0 //Only to keep the compiler from complaining

The line "let newContact . . . " gives me the error "The namespace or module 'outlookClass' is not defined". No doubt I've got something wrong but I'm really more than a little puzzled about where to even start. I'm not getting anywhere with this. If anyone can just point me to some sample code done in F#, I'd be grateful.

.

translating the C# from the linked web page into code to stick in your snippet, it is

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      // Create a new Contact
      let myNewContact = outlookClass.CreateItem (OlItemType.olContactItem ) :?> ContactItem
      myNewContact.FullName <- "Onorio Catenacci"
By on 6/21/2010 12:29 PM ()

translating the C# from the linked web page into code to stick in your snippet, it is

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// Create a new Contact
let myNewContact = outlookClass.CreateItem (OlItemType.olContactItem ) :?> ContactItem
      myNewContact.FullName <- "Onorio Catenacci"

Hi Brian,

Thanks for that; I think I can cobble together the rest of it from that.

I am curious though--how would you handle creating an object expression for the Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook.Application interface? I hope I don't have a situation where I have to overload 72 methods but I am curious if there's a way to handle this sort of thing other than overloading 72 methods.

Also would there be a way to construct myNewContact with the FullName member specified in the constructor?

By on 6/21/2010 7:01 PM ()

If you want to create an object that implements an interface with 72 methods, then you have to implement all the methods. I am unclear what other alternative you're imagining.

There's no way to specify FullName in the constructor, since there is no constructor. You're just calling the CreateItem method and it returns you an object of that type. The shorthand syntax of 'new Foo(Prop1=val1, Prop2=val2)' only works for constructors.

By on 6/21/2010 10:44 PM ()

If you want to create an object that implements an interface with 72 methods, then you have to implement all the methods.  I am unclear what other alternative you're imagining.

I was thinking of something where I would override a few of the methods and point the rest of them at the base class behavior. But possibly this isn't the best class on which to discuss the general idiom to handle this sort of scenario.

By on 6/22/2010 5:33 AM ()

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