Detect Outlook Starting Headless

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Detect Outlook Starting Headless
 
Joe Acunzo




Posts: 13
 Joined: 2012-01-03
In an Outlook add-in, what is the best method to detect Outlook was started headless? That is, there is no main Explorer window because it was started with a mailto link, or as a COM object, or by any other means where no main Explorer window is displayed by Outlook.

I ask because the first time Outlook is started after my add-in is installed, I display a welcome page followed by an options dialog. If Outlook is headless, I don't want to display those.
Posted 15 Nov, 2022 15:35:00 Top
Andrei Smolin


Add-in Express team


Posts: 19029
 Joined: 2006-05-11
Hello Joe,

That is a so-called "Simple MAPI inspector". As far as I remember, it shows modally and your add-in doesn't load when the inspector shows. It might load however when the user closes the inspector window: for a brief moment between closing the inspector window and Outlook quitting.

To verify this and to get more details use the sample add-in we provide in https://www.add-in-express.com/creating-addins-blog/2010/07/01/outlook-events-tool/: install it, grab the source code from the installation folder, uninstall the add-in, rebuild the project and register it.

Regards from Poland (GMT+1),

Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader
Posted 16 Nov, 2022 09:56:12 Top