Sending Outlook Meeting Requests through Outlook using JSP?
Hi all,
I'm trying to develop a web application that's able to invoke the Create New Meeting Request dialog from the client's Outlook (they are using Outlook 2002/2003), and populate some data from server-side into the Meeting Request, so that users can customize the Request if necessary and send it out.
Have looked at a few solutions as follows:
1) HTML's mailto
This is not good, coz the body can only accept plain text, whereas I need to be able to send HTML text (which Outlook can accept).
2) Outlook View Control
This was more hopeful, as I was able to invoke the new Meeting Request dialog. However still no way to send my data to the Meeting Request :-(
Basically, what I need is to be able to send a customized Meeting Request through some means, like for example getting Outlook to do it like the above, or sending out via some Java APIs (do they exist?)
Any ideas if the above is possible at all? Or if there are other ways to do this, other than relying on Outlook?
I'm open to any suggestions, even commercial solutions, since I'm quite urgently in need of options.
Note that I can't connect direct to Exchange (there are some solutions for doing that), because of some security issues which doesn't allow me to connect to the Exchange Server.
Thanks in advance for any advice!
# 1
First, a disclaimer: I know basically zip about Outlook, so this may be a complete wild goose chase.
However, what I am thinking is that you should be able to get Outlook to do what you want by perhaps talking to it as an object through their scripting interface.
I lack the correct term for it (ActiveX? Is that still the correct term today?). But most MS applications are scriptable through an external interface.
The thinking is that you should be able to create "outlook" objects using Javascript or VBScript and Internet Explorer. Using the Outlook object, you should be able to talk to Outlook and get it to do things.
So, what the plan would be to figure this interface out, and then you can generate the appropriate Javascript/VBScript and fire it with a button click or simply on a page load.
You don't use Java per se directly to talk to Outlook, but you use the users browser as a proxy to talk to Outlook. Dunno if this is cross browser or not.
But I'd look at that approach if you think that could work for you.
# 2
Hi whartung,
Thanks for the reply! Appreciate it.
I think what you are suggesting is exactly what Outlook View Control is. Unfortunately, as I've mentioned, it seems that Microsoft did not give it sufficient controls to be able to pre-populate a new Meeting Request. You can only invoke the Outlook UI to create the Meeting Request, but there's no APIs to populate the new Meeting Request.
Have however found a possible alternative in the meantime:
Outlook supports iCalendar files which is a standard for calendaring information storage, and it is able to process a Meeting Request from an iCalendar file which contains details of the Meeting Request.
So what I'm looking to do is this:
1) Create the iCalendar file in the backend with Java.
2) Send an email to the user(s) who is intended to receive the Meeting Request, with the iCalendar file attached.
3) User clicks on the iCalendar file, which prompts them to process the Meeting Request.
Somewhat indirect, but gets the Meeting Request across, and all the 3 steps are actually possible.
Furthur to this, it opens up the possibility of sending Outllook Contacts (which supports iCard format) through similar mechanisms as well!
