Pimp your Outlook messaging

Outlook is so common rich application.. but it lacks of some simple and so much needed functions like:

• Edit message as new
• New message with already filled CC
• Reply to message with already filled CC

But real cool hackers never give up even if your best friend name is Bill.

Let's do it.

Pre-requests

1. MS Outlook 2003/2007
2. Patience (you've mentioned 'MS' in the point one, ain't so?)

All said below is tested on the MS Outlook 2003 and MS Outlook 2007, screenshots were done with the Outlook 2007.


Outlook and VBA macros
We start with the "Edit message as new" feature. "Edit as new" is a must-have when you want simply re-send message to somebody (not to forward, or to reply) or when you need to make some changes to message you'd sent earlier and re-send again. For sure, there is a standard function in Outlook for this: double click on some message -> click on the "Other Actions" item in toolbar -> choose "Edit message" in drop-down list. But we are lazy enough, we wish to do this with one click! So:

1. Open Outlook
2. Tools -> Macro -> Visual Basic Editor (or simply press ALT+F11)
3. In the opened editor you'll see project structure on the left. Expand it: Project1 -> Microsoft Office Outlook Objects -> double click on node ThisOutlookSession.
   
4. Paste the code below to the opened editor
   
   

   Sub EditAsNew()
   Dim msg As Outlook.MailItem
   Set msg = Outlook.ActiveExplorer.Selection(1)
   If msg Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
   If Not TypeOf msg Is Outlook.MailItem Then Exit Sub
   
   Dim newMsg As Outlook.MailItem
   Set newMsg = Application.CreateItem(olMailItem)
   newMsg.To = msg.To
   newMsg.CC = msg.CC
   newMsg.BCC = msg.BCC
   newMsg.Subject = msg.Subject
   Call copyAttachments(msg, newMsg)
   newMsg.Body = msg.Body
   newMsg.Display
   
   Set msg = Nothing
   Set newMsg = Nothing
   End Sub
   
   Sub copyAttachments(objSourceItem, objTargetItem)
   Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
   Set fldTemp = fso.GetSpecialFolder(2) ' TemporaryFolder
   strPath = fldTemp.Path & "\"
   For Each objAtt In objSourceItem.Attachments
   strFile = strPath & objAtt.FileName
   objAtt.SaveAsFile strFile
   objTargetItem.Attachments.Add strFile, , , objAtt.DisplayName
   fso.DeleteFile strFile
   Next
   
   Set fldTemp = Nothing
   Set fso = Nothing
   End Sub
   

   
   
5. Save (CTRL+S) and close Visual Baic Editor
6. Lets check! Select some message from 'Sent' folder and press ALT+F8
7. You'll probably see Outlook message "Microsoft Office has identified a potential security concern"
No fear! You can click "Enable Macros" and next time you'll call macros you won't get warning message. Until you restart Outlook. If you don't want to be bothered with this message you may turn off macros protection in Outlook (here regular security remark goes). To do it: Tools -> Macro -> Security -> Macro Security -> No Security checks for macros
8. In opened window with list of available macroses choose our 'EditAsNew' and run it (button "Run")
9. You should see chosen message ready to be edited and re-send

Well, it works (at least - on my side). But life is too shot to accomplish items 5 and 7 each time you want to re-send message. That's why you'll read next chapter - Outlook tuning.



Outlook tuning
I know 3 methods to make world go around: keyboard, mouse and "Mu-u-u-m! Please, ...". It is possible to use shortcuts to launch macroses and I'm going to show how to do this in the next post.
But now, mouse-users, unite! We are going to customize Outlook toolbar- remove rarely used items and add our hand-made beauties.

1. Right-click on standard toolbar
   
   and choose "Customize"
   
2. Click on any unwanted item from the standard toolbar and drag it somewhere out if toolbar - you'll see dagger - drop the item and it will disappear from the toolbar
3. You've finished him/them? Let's add new button to launch "EditAsNew" macros. Recall (if needed) menu "Customize" (see step 1) -> tab Commands -> Categories: Macros -> Select macros "EditAsNew"
   
4. Drag macros "EditAsNew" to the the toolbar and place it where you like. You'll get something like this:
   
5. Do you like this informative caption for our new button? Me- not. But this is Outlook and everything is possible tonight. Let's rename caption: menu "Customize" (step 1 again) -> tab Commands -> Rearrange commands -> Choose a menu or toolbar to rearrange: Toolbar Standard -> select naughty "Project1.ThisOutlookSession.EditAsNew"
   
6. Click to Modify Selection and change field "Name" in drop-down menu to whatever you like. As for me - straight "EditAsNew" is well enough.

That's all! The road wasn't easy and paved with yellow bricks but.. we just made MS Outlook more user-oriented - quite a lot for a mere mortals!



The rest
As you might remember, at the beginning we were talking also about such features as

• New message with already filled CC
• Reply to message with already filled CC
• Reply to all with already filled CC

A bit of explanations: imagine you are THE BIG BOSS. For sure you have pretty nice secretary and one of her duties (one of, I said) is to be up on everything about your day plan. Each time you send (or reply to) e-mail concerning to your business meets- you have to put Her (that secretary, aha) in CC. You are still doing so? We are coming to you then!
To add these features you need:

• VBA code for macroses (see below). Don't forget to modify the code - change e-mail from "prettysec@myrichoffice.com" to the correct one
  
• Run through the steps described above in a chapters "Outlook and VBA macros" and "Outlook tuning". NOTE: macroses should be pasted to the VBA editor, one after one.

MS Outlook and "New message with already filled CC"

Sub NewWithCc()
Dim msg As Outlook.MailItem
Set msg = Application.CreateItem(olMailItem)
msg.CC = "prettysec@myrichoffice.com"
msg.Display

Set msg = Nothing
End Sub

MS Outlook and "Reply to message with already filled CC" feature

Sub ReplyWithCc()
Dim msg As Outlook.MailItem
Set msg = Outlook.ActiveExplorer.Selection(1)
If msg Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
If Not TypeOf msg Is Outlook.MailItem Then Exit Sub

Dim reply As Outlook.MailItem
Set reply = msg.reply
reply.Display
reply.CC = "prettysec@myrichoffice.com"

Set msg = Nothing
Set reply = Nothing
End Sub

MS Outlook and "Reply to all with already filled CC" feature

Sub ReplyToAllWithCc()
Dim msg As Outlook.MailItem
Set msg = Outlook.ActiveExplorer.Selection(1)
If msg Is Nothing Then Exit Sub
If Not TypeOf msg Is Outlook.MailItem Then Exit Sub

Dim reply As Outlook.MailItem
Set reply = msg.ReplyAll
reply.Display
reply.CC = msg.CC + "; prettysec@myrichoffice.com"

Set msg = Nothing
Set reply = Nothing
End Sub

The last
My real Outlook standard toolbar screenshot. Check it out!