Outlook: Programmatically select a Folder
The Microsoft Object Model has a method that allows you to select a folder inside the Outlook data structure.
"PickFolder" is the name of it and it is accessible via the NameSpace Object, that means the Session property of the Application object.
As a result you will get an instance of the selected Outlook-Folder or null if nothing was selected.
You can use the DefaultItemType property of the folder to check if the folder contains the correct item types.
Below you can see a sample implementation – only contact folders are allowed by this method:
///<summary>/// This method displays the PickFolder Dialog and checks if an Contact folder has been selected///</summary>private Outlook.MAPIFolder SelectOutlookContactFolder(Outlook.NameSpace session) {bool result = false;
string messageBoxText = string.Empty;
// The Outlook COM Object usedOutlook.MAPIFolder folder;
try { // This will display a Dialog to choose an Outlook Folderfolder = session.PickFolder();
// Check if we have a Folder that contains ContactItemsif (folder != null && folder.DefaultItemType == Outlook.OlItemType.olContactItem) {
result = true; } else { // Notify the User it doesn't make sense messageBoxText = "Please select a valid Contact folder";}
} catch (System.Exception ex) { // In case an error occured noitify the UsermessageBoxText = string.Format("There was an error accessing the Outlook application.\n{0}", ex.Message);
}
if (!result) { // Wrong Folder selected or Error folder = null; MessageBox.Show(messageBoxText, "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation);}
return folder;}
Happy coding…