Button throws error when image is added if there's no popup object

[Andrew]

Hello All,

I have an Add-in developed for Outlook 2003. Before this change I was adding
an image to the ".Picture" property of the button after initially adding the
button to a popup object. Everything worked fine, however, I decided the
popup object wasn't needed when there was only one associated for a toolbar.
The buttons where I removed the popup object throws following error when its
been created:
"
Error HRESULT E_FAIL has been returned from a call to a COM component".

the other buttons that have a popup, work fine. The image being added is
the same everywhere.

This is the class where I create and assign the image to a global variable:

Public Class clsScaryFace
Inherits System.Windows.Forms.AxHost

Public Sub New()
MyBase.New("59EE46BA-677D-4d20-BF10-8D8067CB8B32")
End Sub

Public Sub GetScaryFace()
Dim scaryFaceImage As Bitmap = Nothing
'Dim scaryFaceMask As Bitmap = Nothing
Try
scaryFaceImage = My.Resources.Scaryface.scaryface
'scaryFaceMask = My.Resources.Scaryface.scary_mask

If (Exists(scaryFaceImage)) Then
g_imgScaryFace = Convert(scaryFaceImage)
'g_imgScaryFaceMask = Convert(scaryFaceMask)
End If

Catch ex As Exception
MessageBox.Show(ex.Message)
Finally
scaryFaceImage = Nothing
'scaryFaceMask = Nothing
End Try
End Sub

Private Function Convert(ByVal Image As System.Drawing.Image) As
stdole.IPictureDisp
Convert = CType(GetIPictureDispFromPicture(Image),
stdole.IPictureDisp)
End Function
End Class

This is where I add the button:
m_butOldEmailSyncToCS =
CType(m_OldEmailCSToolBar.Controls.Add(MsoControlType.msoControlButton, , , ,
Temporary:=True), Office.CommandBarButton)

This is where I set the properties after which it blows up when attempting
to assign the g_imgScaryFace

With m_butOldEmailSyncToCS
.Caption = "Save to CS"
.Visible = True
.Enabled = True
.Style = Microsoft.Office.Core.MsoButtonStyle.msoButtonIconAndCaption
.Picture = g_imgScaryFace
End With

Anyone has any ideas what's going wrong?

Regards,

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

Is m_OldEmailCSToolBar still being used and is it a valid object? You can
only add buttons to a CommandBar or CommandBarPopup object, although the
CommandBarPopup buttons are actually being added to the
CommandBarPopup.CommandBar object.

Does it blow up when you set the Picture property? Is this an Explorer or
Inspector button?

For WordMail Inspectors you cannot use the Picture property, you must use
the old PasteFace method with an image put on the clipboard. That's because
Picture takes an IPictureDisp object, which cannot be passed across process
boundaries. As WordMail is Word subclassed by Outlook it runs in its own
separate process and attempting to use Picture there tries to pass the
IPictureDisp object across process boundaries. That forces an exception.

 

[Andrew]

Thanks for the response,

m_OldEmailCSToolBar is a global variable in the wrapper class for the
inspector. Yes, it is an Inspector Object, its an existing email item that
was opened, so No "WordMail."

Yes, it blows up on the when I set the Picture property. I've stepped
through the code and all the objects are valid. As I mentioned earlier, it
works fine when I create a "CommandBarPopup," add the popup to the
"m_OldEmailCSToolBar" and then add the button to the "CommandBarPopup." Now
that I'm leaving out the "CommandBarPopup," its blowing up.

As a note: the same code works flawlessly in 2007 version of the Outlook
Add-in.

Help

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

You didn't answer my question, is m_OldEmailCSToolBar a CommandBar object?

So the code blows up on Outlook 2003 when you set .Picture. If you comment
out adding the image using .Picture everything's OK?

My guess is that you are actually in WordMail and that's the cause of the
error. Do you actually test for Inspector.IsWordMail() in your code?

 

[Andrew]

Yes "m_OldEmailCSToolBar" is a commandbar object and it is valid at the time
i'm adding the buttons.

Yes I also check the Inspector.IsWordMail() property, because i've noticed
the issues associated with it.

Yes, the code works fine when I comment out the .Picture assignment.

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

Well, the only reasons that I know of why setting Picture would cause an
exception is if you pass it something other than an IPictureDisp object, or
if you pass the IPictureDisp object across process boundaries (WordMail 2003
or earlier).

What happens if you put a BMP image on the clipboard, and use PasteFace
instead of setting Picture?

 

[Andrew]

"What happens if you put a BMP image on the clipboard, and use PasteFace
instead of setting Picture?"

Haven't tried that, will attempt it to see.

 

[Hichem S]

As Ken said you are probably passing the IPictureDisp object across process
boundaries which is not possible. you have no choice that using PasteFace,
but you won't be able to make the image transparent.
Actually you can but it's really complex..I saw something, but I don't
remember where, that enables you to make the image transparent...

Hichem

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

It takes a whole lot of complex Win32 API type code to mask the image on the
clipboard when you have to use PasteFace. I believe there's a KB article for
it, but as I recall it didn't cover all bases and take care of everything
that I ended up having to do.