Hyperlink from Access to Outlook

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I would like to be able to create a shortcut to an Outlook contact and place it on an MSAccess form. This form contains linked and unlinked fields to an associated table. This table tracks work orders in my database and I’d like to be able to link to a key contact in my Outlook contacts for the work order. Absent the ability to link it (OLE?), I’d at least like to “insert” a copy of the contact for referencing

I used to have this function/ability but over the years/versions it’s not working any longer or has changed somehow.

Anybody know how I can do this now? I have MSOffice 2003.

Thanks

Wes

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Have a look at Link Outlook contacts to an Access database – Help and How-to – Microsoft Office Online.
When finished the linking, you can use the linked contact table as any ordinary table.

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Merci’ Francois. That will work, but my preference is to have an icon/link to the contact. I have to a certain extent re-discovered my old process. I used to drag/drop a contact from Outlook into my workorder form to a command button which had the following code behind it…

Private Sub Command272_Click()
OLEBound273.Visible = True
Forms!frmWorkOrders!OLEBound273.SetFocus
End Sub

I would click the command button and then somehow able to drag/drop the contact onto this small object window which opened. It would allow me to ‘paste'(?) it as a link with an icon. I would then double-click the icon in the object window and it would open the Outlook contact record in an Outlook window. I prefer the Outlook presentation/rendition of the contact data to that offered by the table linking which provides it as a table and fields.

I can still accomplish this to some degree, but have to perform an intermediate step…I first have to drag and drop it to a folder/desktop (where it creates a shortcut to the .msg for the contact). I can then click on the command button which opens my object window and drag/drop the shortcut into the object window. I get the icon (envelope) in the window and can then subsequently open the object window and double-click the link and it opens the Outlook contact as an outlook window. It is not a true shortcut to the Outlook item however. If I edit the contact with this “copy”, it preserves the edit within that Access-linked copy but doesn’t update the Outlook contact record within Outlook.

Anyway, Thanks for your reply and reminding me about the linked table solution.

Wes

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Then I think you’ll have to use automation to open Outlook from within Access.

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I thought I recently found some information that mentioned a syntax for referring to Outlook items that might be applicable…I’ll do some backtracking and see.

Thanks again for your help.

Wes

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If you search the Access forum for +Automation +Outlook +Contacts you will get several pages of messages about the subject. One from several years ago talks about trying to keep contacts in sync in Access and Outlook: Creating Outlook XP Contacts. And there is some information in Adding Contacts and Sending,,,. Also you can find code samples at Hellen Feddema’s website. Finally, if you aren’t comfortable with automation, you might find our Automation 101 tutorial useful.

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Wendell:

Thanks…I’ll check those out. I am interested in getting this working one way or another.

Wes

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