Iterating a Contacts folder for Outlook 2003 and 2007 in C#

[Marketware]

I need to iterate through all of the contacts in a contact folder. I have
tried two methods to get the contacts out of a Contact folder: Here is the
first code I've tried:

Outlook.Application Outlook = new Outlook.Application();
Outlook.MAPIFolder fldContacts =
(Outlook.MAPIFolder)Outlook.Session.GetDefaultFolder(OlDefaultFolders.olFolderContacts);

foreach (Outlook.ContactItem oItem1 in fldContacts.Items)
{//Get each contact...}

I get the following complile error when I attempt the above:

foreach statement cannot operate on variables of type 'Outlook.Items'
because 'Outlook.Items' does not contain a public definition for
'GetEnumerator'
Then I tried this approach:

Outlook.ContactItem oItem;

for (int j = 0; j < oContactFolder.Items.Count; j++)
{
if (j == 0)
oItem = (Outlook.ContactItem)oContactFolder.Items.GetFirst();
else
oItem = (Outlook.ContactItem)oContactFolder.Items.GetNext();

But with the above approach I'm getting the first contact, and a second, but
from that point on it keeps returning the same second record (out of 20
total).

Can anyone help me see what I am doing wrong here? It really shouldn't be
that difficult to accomplish what I am trying to do here.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

bob

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

A contacts folder can have distribution lists in it, any code that doesn't
handle that possibility will fail in some cases. Also, Outlook collections
are 1 based and don't start at 0. You also should not concatenate dot
operators, that creates invisible object variables you cannot release,
always declare everything explicitly.

Outlook.Items items = oContactFolder.Items;

Outlook.ContactItem c = null;

if (items.Count > 0)
{
for (int i = 1; i <= items.Count; i++)
{
try
{
c = (Outlook.ContactItem)items; // if DL will error to catch
block
}

etc.

 

[Marketware]

Now I have a new compiler problem. On the line:

c = (Outlook.ContactItem)items;

I get the following:

Cannot apply indexing with [] to an expression of type 'Outlook.Items'

I've also tried to replace with () and I get another error about trying to
use as a method.

Ideas??

A contacts folder can have distribution lists in it, any code that doesn't
handle that possibility will fail in some cases. Also, Outlook collections
are 1 based and don't start at 0. You also should not concatenate dot
operators, that creates invisible object variables you cannot release,
always declare everything explicitly.

Outlook.Items items = oContactFolder.Items;

Outlook.ContactItem c = null;

if (items.Count > 0)
{
for (int i = 1; i <= items.Count; i++)
{
try
{
c = (Outlook.ContactItem)items; // if DL will error to catch
block
}

etc.

I need to iterate through all of the contacts in a contact folder. I have
tried two methods to get the contacts out of a Contact folder: Here is
the
first code I've tried:

Outlook.Application Outlook = new Outlook.Application();
Outlook.MAPIFolder fldContacts =
(Outlook.MAPIFolder)Outlook.Session.GetDefaultFolder(OlDefaultFolders.olFolderContacts);

foreach (Outlook.ContactItem oItem1 in fldContacts.Items)
{//Get each contact...}

I get the following complile error when I attempt the above:

foreach statement cannot operate on variables of type 'Outlook.Items'
because 'Outlook.Items' does not contain a public definition for
'GetEnumerator'
Then I tried this approach:

Outlook.ContactItem oItem;

for (int j = 0; j < oContactFolder.Items.Count; j++)
{
if (j == 0)
oItem = (Outlook.ContactItem)oContactFolder.Items.GetFirst();
else
oItem = (Outlook.ContactItem)oContactFolder.Items.GetNext();

But with the above approach I'm getting the first contact, and a second,
but
from that point on it keeps returning the same second record (out of 20
total).

Can anyone help me see what I am doing wrong here? It really shouldn't be
that difficult to accomplish what I am trying to do here.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!

bob

.

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

No idea, that is very bizarre.

I use that type of code all the time. It compiles perfectly here. In fact, I
copied it from a working project I was just compiling.

I just tested and compiled again, and it compiled again with no errors.
There's some other problem that you have.

 

[Marketware]

I am using the code you wrote to instaniate an Outlook object. I'm going to
create a new project (separate out just this code) into a new project and see
if I can see anything.

bob

No idea, that is very bizarre.

I use that type of code all the time. It compiles perfectly here. In fact, I
copied it from a working project I was just compiling.

I just tested and compiled again, and it compiled again with no errors.
There's some other problem that you have.

Now I have a new compiler problem. On the line:

c = (Outlook.ContactItem)items;

I get the following:

Cannot apply indexing with [] to an expression of type 'Outlook.Items'

I've also tried to replace with () and I get another error about trying to
use as a method.

Ideas??

.

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

A thought occurred to me. Is this with a PIA from Add-In Express? That might
have a limitation of some sort on the enumerator of an Items collection or
using an indexed operator. The standard PIA's certainly don't have that
limitation, I use Items collections all the time in c# code.

In just looking at an Add-In Express PIA for Outlook I see that it's
exposing an Item object that takes an index value, so that looks like the
problem. Something like items.Item(i) looks like it would work.

 

[Marketware]

It appears as if I've got some weird "Using Statements" One that's just

Using Outlook;

and other,

Using Outlook1 = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook;

And the original DLL on the above did not allow the "foreach". I found
another DLL which does allow it, and it seemed to work with both 2003 and
2007 so I think I may be OK with that. But do you know what the first one is
pointing to? If I remove it I get a bunch of errors in the stuff you wrote
for us.

I am using the code you wrote to instaniate an Outlook object. I'm going to
create a new project (separate out just this code) into a new project and see
if I can see anything.

bob

No idea, that is very bizarre.

I use that type of code all the time. It compiles perfectly here. In fact, I
copied it from a working project I was just compiling.

I just tested and compiled again, and it compiled again with no errors.
There's some other problem that you have.

Now I have a new compiler problem. On the line:

c = (Outlook.ContactItem)items;

I get the following:

Cannot apply indexing with [] to an expression of type 'Outlook.Items'

I've also tried to replace with () and I get another error about trying to
use as a method.

Ideas??

.

 

[Andrei Smolin [Add-in Express]]

Hi Bob,

Using Outlook;

Add-in Express provides version-neutral interops. In your case the interops
are for Outlook 2000 and Office 2000 (common tools). The namespaces
contained in these interops are Outlook and Office, respectively.

Using Outlook1 = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook;

This statement refers to PIA for some Outlook version; it may be Outlook
2002, 2003 or 2007.

c = (Outlook.ContactItem)items;

Yes, this is a kind of restriction in version-neutral interops. Try c =
items.Item(i) as Outlook.ContactItem;

Also, you may want to read my post at the Add-in Express blog on how to
support several Outlook versions in a COM add-in using different interop
versions via early and late binding, see
http://www.add-in-express.com/creating-addins-blog/2010/03/16/interop-assemblies-late-binding/.

I am a rare visitor here. If you have any questions you can quickly reach me
on our forums, see http://www.add-in-express.com/forum/index.php.

Regards from Belarus (GMT+2),

Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader
www.add-in-express.com

It appears as if I've got some weird "Using Statements" One that's just

Using Outlook;

and other,

Using Outlook1 = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook;

And the original DLL on the above did not allow the "foreach". I found
another DLL which does allow it, and it seemed to work with both 2003 and
2007 so I think I may be OK with that. But do you know what the first one
is
pointing to? If I remove it I get a bunch of errors in the stuff you
wrote
for us.

I am using the code you wrote to instaniate an Outlook object. I'm going
to
create a new project (separate out just this code) into a new project and
see
if I can see anything.

bob

No idea, that is very bizarre.

I use that type of code all the time. It compiles perfectly here. In
fact, I
copied it from a working project I was just compiling.

I just tested and compiled again, and it compiled again with no errors.
There's some other problem that you have.




Now I have a new compiler problem. On the line:

c = (Outlook.ContactItem)items;

I get the following:

Cannot apply indexing with [] to an expression of type
'Outlook.Items'

I've also tried to replace with () and I get another error about
trying to
use as a method.

Ideas??

.

 

[Ken Slovak - [MVP - Outlook]]

In addition to what Andrei said if you updated your Add-In Express at any
point there might be references pointing to different paths or file names
that might need to be adjusted for a different version. For example in
loading a project created with an earlier version in the latest version of
Add-In Express I always have to adjust some references.

Hi Bob,

Using Outlook;

Add-in Express provides version-neutral interops. In your case the
interops are for Outlook 2000 and Office 2000 (common tools). The
namespaces contained in these interops are Outlook and Office,
respectively.

Using Outlook1 = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook;

This statement refers to PIA for some Outlook version; it may be Outlook
2002, 2003 or 2007.

c = (Outlook.ContactItem)items;

Yes, this is a kind of restriction in version-neutral interops. Try c =
items.Item(i) as Outlook.ContactItem;

Also, you may want to read my post at the Add-in Express blog on how to
support several Outlook versions in a COM add-in using different interop
versions via early and late binding, see
http://www.add-in-express.com/creating-addins-blog/2010/03/16/interop-assemblies-late-binding/.

I am a rare visitor here. If you have any questions you can quickly reach
me on our forums, see http://www.add-in-express.com/forum/index.php.

Regards from Belarus (GMT+2),

Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader
www.add-in-express.com