Here is the steps which will show you how to create your first outlook add-in and setup project for same Outlook Add-in.
Please follow steps given below to create your first Outlook Add-in which will
be installable in your Outlook 2010.
(1) Create new project for Outlook
Add-in by navigating
File –> New –> Project –> Visual C# –>
Office –> 2010 –> Outlook 2010 Add-in –> Give it any name
“MyFirstAddIn” and click OK.
(2) To work with code, just put following
line of code in auto generated event
“ThisAddIn_Startup”
“MessageBox.Show("hi");”
Add namespace “using
System.Windows.Forms;” for above code
After putting this code it will look
like following screenshot.
(3) Now, to create Setup project for above Outlook Add-In follow steps given
below in same project solution.
(4) Right Click on solution –> Add –>
New Project –> Other Project Types –> Setup and Deployment –> Visual
Studio Installer –> Setup Project –> Give it any name “MyFirstSetup” and
click OK.
(5) Right Click on “MyFirstSetup” –> View –> File System. It
will open up with File System area with following options on Left Hand Panel.
(1) Application Folder (2) User’s Desktop (3) User’s Program Menu
(6) Right
Click on “Application Folder” –> Add –> Project Output and it will open
up with following screenshot.
Select your Add-in project and select Primary Output then click on OK.
It will
selects all dlls and runtime files needed for this output in Right Hand Side
panel. Again, Right Click on “Application Folder” –> Add –> File and it
will open with “Add Files” dialog, navigate to your Add-in project’s bin folder
then select Debug folder and select “MyFirstAddIn.vsto” &
“MyFirstAddIn.dll.manifest” file and click OPEN. Again, you will find this two
files were added to Right Hand side panel.
- To add Manufacturer path for
this installation Right Click on “Application Folder” –> Properties
Window –> Default Location and put
value “[AppDataFolder][Manufacturer]\[ProductName]” in Default Lcoation.
(7) Right Click on “MyFirstSetup” –> View –> Registry. It will open up
with Registry area with following options on Left Hand Panel shown below in
screenshot.
(8) From this pane, Expand HKEY_CURRENT_USER –> Software. Follow the steps
given below to add your registry entry.
- Under Software there will be
default “[Manufacturer]” key is added, rename it with “Microsoft”
- Right
Click on Microsoft –> New –> Key and name key to “Office”
- Right Click
on Office –> New –> Key and name key to “Outlook”
- Right Click on
Outlook –> New –> Key and name key to “AddIns”
- Right Click on AddIns
–> New –> Key and name key to “MyFirstAddIn”.
(9) After creating your
Registry key “MyFirstAddIn”, follow steps given below to add your values.
-
Right Click on Registry Key MyFirstAddIn –> New –> String Value and name
it “Description”, Right Click on Description –> Property Window –>
Value –> “My First Outlook Addin”
- Right Click on Registry Key
MyFirstAddIn –> New –> String Value and name it “FriendlyName”, Right
Click on FriendlyName –> Property Window –> Value –>
“MyFirstAddIn”
- Right Click on Registry Key MyFirstAddIn –> New
–> DWORD Value and name it “LoadBehavior”, Right Click on LoadBehavior –>
Property Window –> Value –> “3”
- Right Click on Registry Key
MyFirstAddIn –> New –> String Value and name it “Manifest”, Right Click on
Manifest –> Property Window –> Value –>
“[TARGETDIR]MyFirstAddIn.vsto|vstolocal”
That’s it for your first setup
project of your Outlook Add-in, navigate to your Add-in's bin –> Debug –>
Click On “MyFirstSetup” or “Setup” and follow installation step. After
installation completed, restart your Outlook and on start it will ask you to
Install our Add-in into outlook. Click on Install. After installation, it will
prompt you with “hi” Message Box. So, every time you open up your Outlook it
will prompt with “hi” Message Box. This way you can put your own code in event start up and create setup for that and after installing it you can achieve your goal.
