Re: Custom fields with STSSync to Outlook

Outlook's integration with SharePoint supports only a limited number of fields -- the standard ones you're already familiar with. Handling others would require building your own sync functionality on top of what STSSync provides.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx

"Munir" <Munir@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:A7333C85-7E2E-4CFA-B36A-49A9CB5256EA@microsoft.com...
> Hi, I've developed a web service that emulates SharePoint's lists-web
> service. Now I can link lists from my web application into Outlook 2007 using
> STSSync. So far, so cool.
>
> I am still missing one thing, though: The web service deliveres over 20
> fields, but all I can see in Outlook (I've created an addin to examine the
> Outlook Object Model as well as the MAPI message) are the default fields like
> "subject", "start", "end", "reccurring" and so on. So my question is: where
> can I find the other fields returned by the web service? Do I need to tell
> Outlook what fields to expect in advance?
>
> Thank you in advance,
> Munir Husseini

You'd have to do the whole thing yourself. Outlook's process is not exposed to programmers.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx

"Munir" <Munir@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:F82B216B-9304-4505-AED4-B8004C02CD1D@microsoft.com...
> Dear Sue,
>
> thanks for your Response (actually, thanks for your responses to other
> questions on other forums, I believe I've almost read them all). Is it
> possible to extend Outlooks STSSync functionality or do I have to implement
> the whole sync process myself?
>
> Thank you,
> Munir Husseini
>
> "Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:
>
>> Outlook's integration with SharePoint supports only a limited number of fields -- the standard ones you're already familiar with. Handling others would require building your own sync functionality on top of what STSSync provides.

>> "Munir" <Munir@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:A7333C85-7E2E-4CFA-B36A-49A9CB5256EA@microsoft.com...
>> > Hi, I've developed a web service that emulates SharePoint's lists-web
>> > service. Now I can link lists from my web application into Outlook 2007 using
>> > STSSync. So far, so cool.
>> >
>> > I am still missing one thing, though: The web service deliveres over 20
>> > fields, but all I can see in Outlook (I've created an addin to examine the
>> > Outlook Object Model as well as the MAPI message) are the default fields like
>> > "subject", "start", "end", "reccurring" and so on. So my question is: where
>> > can I find the other fields returned by the web service? Do I need to tell
>> > Outlook what fields to expect in advance?
>> >
>> > Thank you in advance,
>> > Munir Husseini
>>

Given that Microsoft is de-emphasizing Exchange public folders and encouraging people to move folder-based applications from Exchange to SharePoint, I think that eventually there will be a built-in way to accomplish this, but we have a long way to go and I doubt it will happen before Outlook 14. Perhaps some enterprising ISV will write a developer tool to help make this happen.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Configuring Microsoft Outlook 2003
http://www.turtleflock.com/olconfig/index.htm
and Microsoft Outlook Programming - Jumpstart for
Administrators, Power Users, and Developers
http://www.outlookcode.com/jumpstart.aspx

"Munir" <Munir@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:0E8FCC85-9941-40A2-8855-B8E1211A0A3F@microsoft.com...
> Thank you for your explanations, Sue.
>
> It is a real pitty that there's no way to use Outlooks functionality to
> propagate custom fields. A great deal of applications could easily be
> developed using Microsofts collaboration model, but with limitations like
> this, the wheel has to be reinvented each time anyone needs an Outlook item
> with just one custom field.
>
> I'll stick to this, though...
>
> Munir Hussein
>
> "Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:
>
>> You'd have to do the whole thing yourself. Outlook's process is not exposed to programmers.
>>
>> "Munir" <Munir@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:F82B216B-9304-4505-AED4-B8004C02CD1D@microsoft.com...
>> > Dear Sue,
>> >
>> > thanks for your Response (actually, thanks for your responses to other
>> > questions on other forums, I believe I've almost read them all). Is it
>> > possible to extend Outlooks STSSync functionality or do I have to implement
>> > the whole sync process myself?
>> >
>> > Thank you,
>> > Munir Husseini
>> >
>> > "Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Outlook's integration with SharePoint supports only a limited number of fields -- the standard ones you're already familiar with. Handling others would require building your own sync functionality on top of what STSSync provides.
>>
>> >> "Munir" <Munir@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:A7333C85-7E2E-4CFA-B36A-49A9CB5256EA@microsoft.com...
>> >> > Hi, I've developed a web service that emulates SharePoint's lists-web
>> >> > service. Now I can link lists from my web application into Outlook 2007 using
>> >> > STSSync. So far, so cool.
>> >> >
>> >> > I am still missing one thing, though: The web service deliveres over 20
>> >> > fields, but all I can see in Outlook (I've created an addin to examine the
>> >> > Outlook Object Model as well as the MAPI message) are the default fields like
>> >> > "subject", "start", "end", "reccurring" and so on. So my question is: where
>> >> > can I find the other fields returned by the web service? Do I need to tell
>> >> > Outlook what fields to expect in advance?
>> >> >
>> >> > Thank you in advance,
>> >> > Munir Husseini
>> >>
>>