Windows Address Book

[wgcs]

Has anyone had any success in accessing the "Windows Address Book" from VFP?

I know I can go through Outlook automation (and I will), but I wanted another way for clients who don't have Outlook installed (since, I belive, Outlook Express also uses the WAB, and doesn't support automation).

a VB.net example is here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/office/de...y/en-us/odc_OL2003_ta/html/odc_OLOMwVBNET.asp

a C example is here:

http://daniweb.com/techtalkforums/showthread.php?postid=43004#poststop

and here:

http://codeproject.com/cpp/wabapi.asp?print=true

a reference to the WAB api for C is here:

http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/workshop/wab/reference/wab_ref_entry.asp

The basic trouble with using the C-code is that, while the WAB api is COM-based it is not ActiveX: the WABOpen is a class factory for the IAddrBook interface, which cannot (as far as I can tell) be instantiated directly through CreateObject.

http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/wab/reference/functions/wabopen.asp

Anyone know how to call a method through an IDispatch interface from VFP?

(basically: what is the VFP translation of:

//I know this line can be xlated to a DECLARE-DLL statement in VFP:
ssWABOpen = (fWABOpen)GetProcAddress(hModule, "WABOpen");
//And this line can be a simple function call, 
// returning the pointer as a number, 
// or, probably, returning the object as a string,
//   though that would seem to be useless...
HRESULT hr = (ssWABOpen)(&lpAddrBook, &lpWABObject, NULL, 0);
// This is where I get stuck: is there an API to
//   "dereference" the "OpenEntry" method from the COM 
//   object pointer (number) returned from WABOpen? 
hr = lpAddrBook->OpenEntry(lpcbEntryID, lpEntryID,
       NULL, ulFlags,  &ulObjType, &lpIUnknown);

I know VFP can "implement interfaces", but I think that is the exact opposite of what is needed here...

- Bill

Get the best answers to your questions -- See FAQ481-4875.

 

[Mike Gagnon]

Isn't the Outlook express using the WAB?

http://www.news2news.com/vfp/?function=-1&example=407

Mike Gagnon

If you want to get the best response to a question, please check out FAQ184-2483 first.

 

[wgcs]

Thanks, Mike,

I hadn't thought about the MAPI api calls!

This may just do it.
(it doesn't necessarily get to WAB, though: I use Eudora, and it opens the Eudora Address Book, which is not the WAB. I assume if Outlook Express was my default mail client, it would have gone through that to the wab, but I guess I care more about getting the user's primary address book, whatever it is.)

For anyone interested in seeing/managing their "Windows Address Book" directly, try running "WAB.EXE" from the Start-Run dialog.



- Bill

Get the best answers to your questions -- See FAQ481-4875.