Create new message from Contact (Outlook XP)

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I wish to create a new message for a bunch of contacts using a template form

I am the editor of a newsletter. I have all the subscribers in a contacts folder called ‘Newsletter’. From time to time, I receive new subscribe e-mails. I have a rule which transfers them to a ‘subscribers’ folder. I add the subscriber to contacts using right click option and add ‘Newsletter to the category.
So far so good.
The current newsletter is an attachment to a template that I have created along with the appropriate message. I can select the new subscribers by category, and have a button which creates new message from contact. This places the new subscribers in the ‘To’ box of a new default message.

What I wish to do, is to add those contacts to the BCC field of my template with the attachment. Have not been able to figure this out, except to cut the addressees from the default message, open a new template form, and paste the addresses into the BCC field. This is particularly nasty when a new issue is sent out with nearly 500 recipients.

There just gotta be an easier way.

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Tools | Mail Merge | Merge to e-mail will send a separate message to each recipient, though they will be “To:” not “BCC:”. Search this Forum for more on using Outlook Mail Merge.

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Thanks John,
but I think that this would create 500 e-mails ALL with an attachment. I would blow my monthly ISP allowance in one fowl swoop. Can anyone sugest how I might do this with code?

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Devious, I would think sending one message to 500 BCC: recipients would use the same ‘capacity’ as 500 separate TO: messages. You might want to ask your ISP about it. I also think that perhaps you should send your e-newsletter in the body of the message rather than as an attachment, if capacity limit is an issue.

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I have checked with ISP. 500 recipents in bcc is only one message.

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(Edited by JohnBF on 28-Jun-04 19:42. Code corrections.)

I’m surprised. Here’s some starter code to pull the category “Newsletter” from a selected Contacts folder and place every person with an e-mail address into the bcc line of an open current window message draft.

Public Function GetCurrentItem() As Object
On Error Resume Next
If TypeName(Application.ActiveWindow) = “Explorer” Then
Set GetCurrentItem = ActiveExplorer.Selection(1)
Else
Set GetCurrentItem = ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
End If
End Function

Sub addtobcc()
Dim lngC As Long
Dim itmMessage As Outlook.MailItem
Dim recBCC As Outlook.Recipient

On Error Resume Next
Set itmMessage = GetCurrentItem ‘ with the target draft message open and active

If Not itmMessage Is Nothing Then
With Outlook.GetNamespace(“MAPI”).PickFolder
For lngC = 1 To .Items.Count
If .Items(lngC).Class = olContact And InStr(.Items(lngC).Categories, “Newsletter”) Then
If Len(.Items(lngC).Email1Address) Then
Set recBCC = itmMessage.Recipients.Add(.Items(lngC).Email1Address)
recBCC.Type = olBCC
End If
End If
Next lngC
End With
End If

Set recBCC = Nothing
Set itmMessage = Nothing
End Sub

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Thanks John,

That just might do the trick. Will look into it further.

Maybe we confused each other earlier. When I send an e-mail with 500+ recipients, there is only one e-mail in the outbox. ISP confirmed, that although there are 500 recipients, I have only sent 1 e-mail. Therefore if PDF attachment is 1 mb, then that is my upload for that e-mail, not 500 mb. As my monthly allowance is only 200 mb, and I have sent a few issues out, this would seem to be confirmed.

Thank you for your help, I will certainly look at the code you provided, and alter as required.

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Thanks John,

That just might do the trick. Will look into it further.

Maybe we confused each other earlier. When I send an e-mail with 500+ recipients, there is only one e-mail in the outbox. ISP confirmed, that although there are 500 recipients, I have only sent 1 e-mail. Therefore if PDF attachment is 1 mb, then that is my upload for that e-mail, not 500 mb. As my monthly allowance is only 200 mb, and I have sent a few issues out, this would seem to be confirmed.

Thank you for your help, I will certainly look at the code you provided, and alter as required.

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I don’t think your ISP realizes the extent of server resources they will use to disseminate the message, but it’s a good arrangement for you. Note that I fixed a couple of lines of the code.

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I don’t think your ISP realizes the extent of server resources they will use to disseminate the message, but it’s a good arrangement for you. Note that I fixed a couple of lines of the code.

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(Edited by JohnBF on 28-Jun-04 19:42. Code corrections.)

I’m surprised. Here’s some starter code to pull the category “Newsletter” from a selected Contacts folder and place every person with an e-mail address into the bcc line of an open current window message draft.

Public Function GetCurrentItem() As Object
On Error Resume Next
If TypeName(Application.ActiveWindow) = “Explorer” Then
Set GetCurrentItem = ActiveExplorer.Selection(1)
Else
Set GetCurrentItem = ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
End If
End Function

Sub addtobcc()
Dim lngC As Long
Dim itmMessage As Outlook.MailItem
Dim recBCC As Outlook.Recipient

On Error Resume Next
Set itmMessage = GetCurrentItem ‘ with the target draft message open and active

If Not itmMessage Is Nothing Then
With Outlook.GetNamespace(“MAPI”).PickFolder
For lngC = 1 To .Items.Count
If .Items(lngC).Class = olContact And InStr(.Items(lngC).Categories, “Newsletter”) Then
If Len(.Items(lngC).Email1Address) Then
Set recBCC = itmMessage.Recipients.Add(.Items(lngC).Email1Address)
recBCC.Type = olBCC
End If
End If
Next lngC
End With
End If

Set recBCC = Nothing
Set itmMessage = Nothing
End Sub

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I have checked with ISP. 500 recipents in bcc is only one message.

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Devious, I would think sending one message to 500 BCC: recipients would use the same ‘capacity’ as 500 separate TO: messages. You might want to ask your ISP about it. I also think that perhaps you should send your e-newsletter in the body of the message rather than as an attachment, if capacity limit is an issue.

Reply | Quote

Thanks John,
but I think that this would create 500 e-mails ALL with an attachment. I would blow my monthly ISP allowance in one fowl swoop. Can anyone sugest how I might do this with code?

Reply | Quote

Tools | Mail Merge | Merge to e-mail will send a separate message to each recipient, though they will be “To:” not “BCC:”. Search this Forum for more on using Outlook Mail Merge.

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