Macro to Assign Category (2003)

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Hi, I would like to assign a category (already put in Master List) via a macro button on a customised toolbar. I know how to create a toolbar button assigned to a macro, however I dont know how to write VBA code to assign the category. Is this possible?

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If you want to assign a specific category:

Sub SetCategory()
If Inspectors.Count > 0 Then
ActiveInspector.CurrentItem.Categories = “MyCategory”
End If
End Sub

If you want to show the Categories dialog, see JohnBF’s post 549,323.

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Thanks Hans – worked a treat.

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Hans,

FOr some reason the Macro’s dont work anymore. I am a bit confiused because I am sure they worked initially. When I first try to use the macro after logging on outlook asks if I want to ‘enable macros’ which I say ‘yes’. Even, the open categories dialogue box does not open anymore?? I have attached a couple of the macros which I am sure replicate those that you recommended. Any ideas on the problem? Thanks.

Sub SetCategoryIAC()
If Inspectors.Count > 0 Then
ActiveInspector.CurrentItem.Categories = “IAC”
End If
End Sub

Sub ShowCategoriesDialog()
If Inspectors.Count Then
With ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
If .Class = olMail Then .ShowCategoriesDialog
End With
End If
End Sub

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There is nothing wrong with the macros. Are you sure you have an e-mail open when you try to run the macros?

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Hans – the advice that I have to have the email ‘open’ was the trick – thankyou. Do you know if there is a way to assign categories without having the mail item actually open, ie assigning a category when you have the mail item highlighted and are reading it in the preview pane?

Once again thanks for the fast response.

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Try using

ActiveExplorer.Selection.Item(1)

instead of

ActiveInspector.CurrentItem

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(Edited by JohnBF on 18-Dec-06 09:55. Code corrections)

If you want the flexibility of all selected items in the explorer pane, or the current open item, add this function to your code (I use it for all kinds of little macro thingies in Outlook):

Public Function GetSelectedItems() As Collection
Dim lngC As Long
Set GetSelectedItems = New Collection
If TypeName(Outlook.ActiveWindow) = “Explorer” Then
For lngC = 1 To ActiveExplorer.Selection.Count
GetSelectedItems.Add Outlook.ActiveExplorer.Selection(lngC)
Next lngC
Else
GetSelectedItems.Add Outlook.ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
End If
End Function

Then modify Hans

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Edited by HansV to crop huge screenshot to show only the relevant part

Thanks John, the code sound intriguing (for someone who likes tools but does not understand VBA!). I tried to establish a test case but came up with an error (refer to attached).

Can you please give me any hints on how I may have incorporated it incorrectly. Thanks

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The correct syntax is

If Not collSellItems Is Nothing Then

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Thanks, Hans. I’ll correct the post for any later Loungers.

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Hi Claude,
Try this amendment:

Sub SetCategory()
    Dim collSelItems As Collection
    Dim lngC As Long
    Set collSelItems = GetSelectedItems
    If Not collSelItems Is Nothing Then
        For lngC = 1 To collSelItems.Count
            collSelItems(lngC).Categories = "MyCategory"
        Next lngC
    End If
    Set collSelItems = Nothing
End Sub

HTH

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Thanks all for helping me out. The code now works, however I am a little confused what the code adds. I tried selecting multiple items in the explorer pane to see if set categories to multiple items (ie what I understood from John’s “…of all selected items in explorer pane..”) but it still only adjusted one email item. To my understanding, this is the same function as the previous code.

I am interested to understand what the code does/add when you have time, and helped out a few other people with potentially higher priority problems…..

Thanks again.

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Claude,
John’s code should set the category for all the selected items in the current folder, unless you have an item open in the active window, in which case it will only set the category for that item.
HTH

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Claude, in addition to the syntax error Hans noted, I fixed an omission in the code – I added an Item.Save command. Try it now.

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