Version 1.41 Changes
fixed saving issue

Version 1.4 Changes
selectable text
clear box after enter
rolodex icon
Tab opens edit dialog
fixed combo box resize (hopefully)

Version 1.3 Changes
auto refresh option
auto refresh bug fixed
close button which had a standard appearance

Version 1.2 Changes
Saving Rolodex Position
ComboBox Auto Resizes
Fixed Distro List Error
Rolodex closes with ESC
Buisness Phone, Fax, Categories fixed


Version 1.11 Changes
Minor Bugs
Search by First, Last, FileAs
Loading… Text

Version 1.1 Changes
Thread to check if new
Double entries in combo box
Choose outlook folder
Refresh rate
Rename to Contact Search
Manual Refresh


I've created a panel that will allow you to quickly search through your outlook contacts and open up their information. It is not completely finished as I want to integrate quick emails to these contacts, but I need to get around the security issue. So as of right now, it has an autocomplete combo box and when you press the enter button, the contact information will be show on an "index card". Let me know what you think and any suggestions you may have.

Click to view attachment

Click to view attachment

It seems to be just what I need (remember I was looking for the old Contacts panel source), but it isn't working: it installs fine but the combo remains empty and I cannot write anything inside it

hmm, give it a second, it's loading the contacts in a thread....maybe remove and add....anybody else having problems?

That looks great! Pitty I don't use outlook...
Anyway, great work!

Sam W

There's a problem with the panel's name - I've already created a panel called Contacts (http://www.desktopsidebar.com/ffdetails.php?id=293) so when I try to install your panel I see mine instead of yours But I don't think there are so many users to my panel so it's not such a big problem

BTW, I hope you won't have a problem to enter it to the ExEx since I've already entered my panel there and it has the same name.

Is about 5 hours enough? Which version of Outlook did you target (I'm running OL XP)? How are you referring to the contacts folder? Maybe you expect some default that doesn't apply in my case.

I made some more tests, closing and reopening DS does nothing; also I removed a folder nested inside my Contacts folder, just in case, but nothing changed. As I said I am running Outlook XP and there are 235 contacts currently in the folder. There is also another contacts folder, with a different name, but I just need contacts to be taken from the standard folder (outlook:Contacts).

May I suggest a new name? ... Contact Search

Much better

k, I'll change the name, I like Contact Search. Also, is it working on anybody elses machine? I'll make it so you can pick which outlook folder to look at.

I don't really know if it's a folder name issue, but being able to choose it may prove that and solve it, or provide some clue... what Outlook version are you testing it with?

I'm using Outlook 2003

OK, thanks. Don't think the problem lies in the version difference since I've had other software targeted for OL 2K3 that worked fine with OL XP. I can't wait to test the release allowing to choose the contacts folder .

hopefully I'll get that out tonight...but no promises

looks like I had a similar problem with my work computer. Try clicking on your contacts in outlook and see if it populates the combobox

No, the combobox remains empty

Its working perfectly for me. (outlook 2003) I just have one idea. Maybe you could implement a search by first name, and not just by last name as an option.

it searches by whatever your contacts are filed as, I can make it so you can choose to search by First OR Last OR FileAs, it cannot dynamically determine what you are typing

Yeah, maybe somthing under the panel properties or such. Also, is there a way to re-skin it?

yeah, that's what I'll do......re-skin it how? you mean the index card?

Yeah, the card that pops up. I donno, I just wanted to change those little "T" graphics on it

you want to change my roledex card?!?! I am hurt, I spent so much time on that....haha....yeah, I guess I can make it skinnable, but all the data has to be in the same place, so you don't really have too much room to change stuff

I posed a new version in the first post. You should remove the previous contacts plugin because I had to rename it. Go into your desktopsidebar plugins directory and remove Contacts before you install the new version

Much worse When I add the panel, after a few seconds an error is raised about an invalid cast, DS asks if I want to disable the panel and if I keep it enabled it doesn't get painted correctly (only the combo appears behind the first panel) and the combo remains completely empty (I can click on it, on a small part that isn't covered by the first panel).

umm, did you delete the contacts directory in the plugins directory before installing?

It installed fine for me. The only thing is that the drop down box for choosing the search type is greyed out. Also sorry about the graphics comment, I'm sure you did spend lots of time working on them, I just like simple graphics though
All in all I really like this panel, nice and simple. When I want to find a phone number, its a couple key strokes away.

I was just kidding about the graphics comment, it was just an idea to make it look like a roledex. The search type is going to be for the next release and hopefully skinning will be as well

Of course. It installed fine, the problem appears at runtime. Would you like sending me the source for debugging? Is it C++ or C# (not that it matters ) ?

let me make a few changes to the code and if that doesn't work, I'll send it your way

Don't worry, I actually wanted to make such a panel myself but currently I am too busy, it's much easier and quicker to debug yours than to make mine from scratch

if you were going to make one yourself...what features were you going to add?

Nothing special, just basic features, that is phone number lookup, like GoMa's original (from NeilN) OutlookContacts panel, with the added possibility of showing the whole contact dialog from outlook and/or the associated notes.

jgallen23, you can have a look at the source of GoMa's Contacts Panel, just to see how he connects to Outlook etc.: his panel works fine for me. See his post here for directions on getting the code from the panel assembly, he hasn't the source anymore.

no big surprise, he uses the same method that I do

Well, then, the problem must lie somewhere else his panel correctly connects to Outlook and looks up the contacts.

hmm, yeah, it is odd, I'll pm you the source later tonight when I get home from work

found a little bug that'll cause what you were saying, try the new version

Nope, no changes, sorry I still get the invalid cast error and following painting issues etc. as described above.

robc, check your pm

Got it, I'll keep you posted, thanks.

well I found a possible reason why its still not working. I switched back to Debug and my DSPackage Creator was taking from the Release directory so the last few bugs were not actually fixed in this release, I'll get the new one up tonight

The source you sent me still raises the cast warning...

you got some weird contacts kid....do you know how to debug it?

That's what I'm starting to think. No problem with debugging, been doin' that for the past 20+ years, the last (about) 12 mostly in C++ , thanks.

BINGO! I got it... it's been easier than I thought, and the answer is... a bug of yours! I had just ONE distribution list in my contacts folder, which blew up everything; removing it made it work. I had to manually step into the foreach loop in the ReturnContacts() method to find it, though, because at first I really couldn't understand the issue. Well, I don't know how many people use DLs in Outlook, but I believe the panel should handle them as well; you could probably filter them out, there's no point in looking up the address or phone number of a DL

Thanks for the source, I wouldn't have thought of the list if I hadn't the opportunity of looking at the "live" panel.

OK, now on with the bug report alas, it's a Beta, so don't get angry with me

- the business phone is displayed in the dialog but there's no code for getting it from Outlook...
- the rolodex dialog always displays in the same position, which is awkward in my case, since I keep DS on the right side; probably letting the user place it anywhere and saving its position would be better.
- the mouse support is almost nonexistent: of course if I'm writing the first few letters of the contact in the combo, pressing Enter to view the details is fine, but if I'm browsing the list part of the combo and choose a contact, nothing happens, I still need to press Enter.

Apart from this, good work

EDIT: uh-oh, I forgot these feature requests...

- resize the combo width according to the panel width at runtime
- make the rolodex dialog close with just the Esc key.

thanks! I'll filter them out on the next release. I appreaciate all your help robc

new version posted, here's what I'm going to do for the next version (unless bugs arrise):

Skinning
Emails (shift enter will send an email to that contact)
Mouse Support

Good work , now it works both with and without distribution lists, which are filtered out (that was my suggestion , thanks, but you may consider to add them in a future release, for example as contacts whom you can send mail to but without the standard dialog, since DLs don't have phone numbers, street addresses, and the like).

Everything is working correctly, apart from the dialog position which is kept for the session but reset the next time DS is run and the close button which has a standard appearance instead of the rounded-XP as the edit button (see below).



Finally, the combo doesn't seem to resize: I keep DS 7 small icons/3 large icons wide and the combo doesn't fill all the available space.

Since you seem to be enjoying your weekend, jgallen23 (no posts from you since yesterday, that is ), I'm posting a couple considerations more: the "mouse support" I was speaking of probably could simply be accepting a double click on the editbox part of the combo, or handling the TextChanged event (if that doesn't conflict with your autocomplete implementation, I didn't check); you could even use the space on the right of the combo for an explorer-like "go" button. Also, upon closing the Contact dialog, I'd clear the combo editbox text, so as to leave it always blank except when actually using it.

Just trying to be of help, sorry if that's too much