[AccessD] Checking Outlook Contact Info from Access

Erwin,
I'm sure your advice will help a lot. I will work on this project using the
ideas you have laid out for me. If anything interesting comes up I will post
my questions and or results.

Thanks you much!
John

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Erwin Craps - IT
Helps
Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 4:26 AM
To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Checking Outlook Contact Info from Access


Thats about the same I do, except for the (automated) synchronising.
Mainly it means that, opposing to your technique, I use the uniqueID in
Access to identify the items in Outlook, cause I know that is rock solid.
The entryID could change in certain situations.

I have a central Access database (wel 2 infact), I added a Outlook contact
button next to the company or contactperson in Access.
The first time I create a new company or contact in my database I also click
on that buttom.
This will create a new contact in my outlook contacts and set the outlook
contact item "Customerid" property to the id from my database.
If I alter my contact data in the Access datebase, I click again on this
button. But first Access will search in the contact items by using the ID
from the Access database and in the "Customerid" property of the Outlook
contact item.
If it does exists it updates the item inmediatly, if it does not exists
Access asks if I want to add the contact to my Outlook contacts.

I do not update automaticly, I do not sync in both directions, but with the
technique I use I could if I wanted to.

What I believe/suggest you should do is.
Adapt your routine that when you read the EntryID from a Outlook Contactitem
and add the new contact to the Access database, you should inmediatly add
the unique Company and/or ContactID that u use in the Access Database to the
"Companyid" property of the Outlook Contact item.
>From that point on u always identify and/or link contact in both 
>Outlook
and Access based on that CompanyID and no longer on the entry ID.
Infact it is pointless from that moment on to even store that entryID.


The CompanyID is in Outlook visible in other fields, I even see them when
i'm in my contact folder. Don't know if that is by default or after a form
alteration from me.

It is posible for the user to change the CompanyID field from within
Outlook. This is maybe an issue for you, it is not for me in my situation. I
believe, but not sure, you can resolve this by using a customer property
instead of the CompanyID property.

I use a custom property for linking E-mails to my Access database, so I
supose you can also use custom properies in contacts.


 Hope this helps.

Erwin











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