Dynamically Changing the Contents of Mail Signature Using RSS Feeds in C#

When we were discussing the automatic creation of e-mail signature for message in Outlook in the series of articles posted previously (see Part I, Part II and Part III), I told you that I recommend choosing HTML when defining the type of message format to be used by default for composing messages in e-mail client. Although the rendering capability of Office Outlook 2007 has changed because Outlook now uses rendering capabilities of Microsoft Word 2007 rather then the engine of Internet Explorer 7 it doesn’t mean that we can’t use pretties of HTML as the subset of what HTML 4.01 specification is supported by Word engine.
In the dynamically changing world we think dynamically, we communicate dynamically using Windows Live Messenger smart-tag integration with Outlook and utilize Live Communication Server to collaborate with colleagues throughout the world or within the close corporate community by deploying Windows SharePoint Services and building web enterprise portal. Today when we are living the the moment when RSS syndications rose their popularity and XML is currently so popular so we not have XML Notepad 2007 why not using all the above mentioned technologies?
Think of it: for example you’re managing publishing business and you want to keep your customers tuned to what new publications you offer them, what’s upcoming, etc. Or say, you want your managers to have special signatures that will include info (such as general directions) relevant to the person whom it, the message, is send to.
I found an article that describes how to make signature dynamic and thus adding to the signature more descriptive and effective.
I will not go deep into that, that’s what the article is intended for, but the layout and info about what they are using there to do that is worth to be noted.
Author suggests to use corporate intranet portal as the source for the data and Rich Site Summary syndication as the technology to deliver data to user. So you need to have ASP.NET 2 installed on the server to process ASP web handler ASHX files on the server side and deliver html code that will be rendered on the client side. As Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 Express Edition and Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 are enough, you can start diving into it for yourself right after ending with reading the article. So what is used? “Just to enumerate some: web requests, web handlers, graphics, caching, section handlers etc.” To made solution really dynamic and flexible author created config file that stores data that describes how to draw the stuff in the format that is very close to the RSS 2.0 specs. The problem here is to receive the HTTP request and response on it by sending the PNG image. To do that HTTPWebRequest and HTTPWebResponse classes are used to transfer the data via HTTP protocol. As the target is to deliver the Portable Network Graphics image to the page, type is defined using the ContentType property:

objResponse.ContentType = “image/png”

To solve the problem of request overloading by implementing the caching that saves the image from being loaded with each request. The default time that defines how long to store the image in bitmap cache is set to be 15 minutes but it can be easily changed using the TimeSpan structure

new TimeSpan(0, 15, 0)

The interesting thing with PNG format is that it “cannot be written to a non-seekable stream, an intermediate memory stream object (which is seekable) is used”.
The MemoryStream is used to manage that.

Then author creates three procedures: the first one handles exceptions and draws them on the page if any and the last two are those ones who are responsible for building the contents where one build the title of the channel and teh second builds the items for it. Author chose two items to be drawn on the page. These are the post title that is drawed using the title property and the post publication date which is drawn using the pubDate property.

The drawing procedure is not very simple but clearly made as described. It creates the rectangles that build the signature, the borders, and manipulates with bushes.

Very nice article that delivers the food for thought and opens the capabilities to extend the mail signature representativeness the way you want it to go.

Links for further information:
The article I am talking here about. You also can download the Windows Installer distribution with C# code
Make Sure Your Mail is Compliant: Download 2007 Office System Tool Outlook HTML and CSS Validator
Read Additional Information about Word 2007 HTML and CSS Rendering Capabilities in Outlook 2007 (in two parts):
Strangely enough the part I has file name index higher then the part II…
Part I
Part II
What’s New for Developers in Outlook 2007: Part I, Part II
How to use Smart-Tags in Microsoft Word
How to write ASHX file
Creating an ASHX handler in ASP.NET

Technorati tags: HTTPWebResponse class HTTPWebRequest class C# structure C# classes image delivery TimeSpan structure CSS rendering drawing image pubDate property ASHX ASP handler RSS feed Microsoft Office content management RSS syndication mail signature Rich Site Summary dynamic signature object model smart-tag outlook profiles dynamic content outlook signature

Outlook Profiles: Automating Mail Signature Assignments Using Active Directory Info. Part III. Active Directory Gets Involved

What if We Will Automate it Further?

As said, semi-automatic mode is better than nothing. But still, I guess, you’ll agree here, it’s not the way we should choose if we want to achieve productivity. We need the higher level of automation. Plus we want to be as more abstracted from the user side as it possible. As we are working in Active Directory environment it is reasonable to use its abilities and retrieve the information right from the active directory database. Going that way we’ll solve two problems at once: we will free ourselves from the need to fill in info personally user-by-user and strictly assign the signature to the user according to the official information stored in the Active Directory database. That allows avoiding confusion for the user and for the customer that will contact our user.

The Approach: Querying Active Directory for an Info

As we always do when we start working with some entities, we create an object instance that will represent it. Out main goal here is to retrieve information about the user, the member of the database, and then put it down into our document. We will use ADSystemInfo object and create its instance named objSysInfo that we will us to retrieve the system info data:

Set objSysInfo = CreateObject(“ADSystemInfo”)

After that we can retrieve a distinguished name of the user that is logged on to domain and that we want to create a signature for:

strUser = objSysInfo.UserName

We are using here the UserName property that is who returns the name of the user.

Username retrieved, we can connect (bind the object) to that user account. We use GetObject method that will create a new object from the reference we are linking it to:

Set objUser = GetObject(“LDAP://” & strUser)

Note: We can also shorten the expression and just write Set objUser = GetObject(“LDAP://” & objSysInfo.UserName). Then surely we have no need to define the strUser variable.

Getting the Stuff in Our Hands

That’s the time to start working with properties. What we need them for? We need them exactly to retrieve specific information that we will use during the document filling operation.

Typically a pair that will retrieve is the full user name and the company name and is well enough to build the signature. So basically we can limit the set of information that we will retrieve to just to properties:

1. FullName, this property will return the full name of the user. That is that the name that the user would basically get in the header of the Start menu if he will click on the Start button.

Note: If you haven’t add it, open Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in and change it. See this article for an additional info.

By the way there’s a nice article describing how to make this automatically using VBScript: How to change the display names of Active Directory users with Active Directory Services Interface script

2. Company, this property will return the full name of the company.

To call them just use this form

strName = objectname.property name

Thus to retrieve the user full name, use the following expression:

strName = objUser.FullName

Correspondingly, to retrieve user company name use the expression:

strCompany = objUser.Company

Note: In fact you can overview get all off them with your own eyes if you’ll select user properties in either your contacts or using the user properties smart-tag.

Here’s how to do that:

1. Create a new e-mail.
2. Enter User Name that is recorded in Active Directory
3. Point to the typed name. The user properties smart-tag will arise in the upper left corner on the user name
4. Click on the smart-tag and select Outlook Properties
5. All these properties will be listed on the General tab of the %username% Properties dialog box

Thus you now have a clue on how to enhance the representativeness of the user mail signature. Just use the properties listed there and add them after the name of the object you used to create connection.

Thus to add user telephone number to the user signature use this expression:

strPhone = objUser.telephoneNumber

How to program Outlook
Automatic Management of Signatures Bindings and Formatting
Windows Scripting Host (WSH) Properties List
User Class Properties Reference for Windows 2000 Server and Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Schema
IADsUser Interface Property List
Reading Active Directory Object Properties in C#
Defining Object Properties of any Active Directory Schema Interface object using IADs Interface
User Object Attributes
Sue Moshers’ Solution to Create Outlook Signature using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) scripting

Technorati: bind object object property user class signature generate AD properties scripting host IADSUser Interface Active Directory Schema read property object model ADSI scripting active directory interface scripting WSH outlook profiles corporate signature personal signature mail signature VBScript

Outlook Profiles: Automating Mail Signature Assignments Using Active Directory Info. Part II

Now that we’ll go further with this. How to push these settings enterprise-wide.

As we added line break to the document, we can continue to fill the signature and put (a last!) the name of the company we work in. The procedure is absolutely the same except that for now we are typing company name and hence we are passing the that out mysterious company ACME Corporation name to the input of the method:

objSelection.TypeText “ACME Corporation”

After that we are running Range() to end with the typed text selection block.

Now when we created the content of the signature we are stepping in to create the signature in Outlook. First off we need to create the object that will represent the parent of the object representing the signature. That means we should create objEmailOptions object:

Set objEmailOptions = objWord.EmailOptions

Alright, the parent is created, lets create the child, the objSignatureObject object:

Set objSignatureObject = objEmailOptions.EmailSignature

Now when we created the objSignatureObject signature object that’s the time to include our signature to the list of signatures. What’s the list? It’s the collection. Want to know how it looks like?

1. Open Outlook
2. Open Tools|Options and switch to the Mail Format tab on the Options dialog box
3. In the Signatures section click Signatures button to open the Create Signature dialog box
4. Here we are. The collection is just the list of items listed in the Signature list in this dialog

To create the collection we need to create object

Set objSignatureEntries = objSignatureObject.EmailSignatureEntries

We are ready to fill in the list now. To do that we need to add new item to the collection by using the Add method. To name it somehow we’ll just pass Standard Signature as the parameter:

objSignatureEntries.Add “Standard Signature”, objSelection

Let’s check what we created. Open the Create Signature dialog box as stated in the list above (see step 3) and check the Standard Signature is in the list of available signatures (or the only existing one if you haven’t created the single one yet).

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” I hear you are saying that. “You told us about the name of the signature, but how did we create it?” You are right. We used reference to the created objSelection object to fill in the signature with the text. That’s what we used Word for.

OK. Signature is created, we can go. Unfortunately, not yet. You are asking, why? Look at the Signature section on the Mail Format tab in the Options dialog box. Observe two drop-down lists there. We haven’t assigned the signature yet. We need to make sure that when the user will either create or reply to the message the created signature will be used there. To do that we need to use two corresponding properties.

1. NewMessageSignature property is used to attach new signature to all newly created messages
2. ReplyMessageSignature property will be used in case user will reply to the incoming message

Lets go. As always, we are creating two objects:

objSignatureObject.NewMessageSignature = “Standard Signature”

objSignatureObject.ReplyMessageSignature = “Standard Signature”

Now look at the mentioned drop-down lists. The “Standard Signature” item is there and successfully selected. Try to create new mail or reply to the message. You will get the created signature attached at the bottom of your message.

By the way, if we would have another signature in the list of signatures we could set another one as the default either for new message or for the replied one depending on what you want it to be by typing its name within the quotes.

Voila! We ended with signature creation. That wasn’t too complicated tasks but still… Look at what we did? Can we leave this alone? Can we consider it to be the right solution? Of course, not. First of all we are talking about corporate environment with computers joined to domain. If we will stop with this solution it would require us either create a set of unique signature scripts, or create a huge IF branching that would put different names for signatures to make them unique for all user computers.

I’ll continue describing what we can do. For now you can find the ways right in the list of the articles I put at the bottom of this my note. See you later.

MSDN Magazine Scripting Outlook Signature article
How about automation? Automatic E-mail Signatures Creation
How to find and use Office object model documentation
Programming the Outlook object model
Microsoft Word Object Model
The TypeText Method
Microsoft Word Selection Object Members
What’s new in Outlook 2007 Object Model

Technorati tags: object model ADSI script outlook object model word object model exchange properties signature generate personal signature mail signature active directory scripting Microsoft Office outlook profiles corporate mail VBScript

Outlook Profiles: Automating Mail Signature Assignments Using Active Directory Info. Part I

Introduction

The steps to create mail signature in Outlook manually are not so complex to perform. But as it usually happens, this ‘rule’ cannot be applied to all cases. Once you can burden this task on user’s shoulders in a small company with a few computers in net and probably no Active Directory, go do it in large company. Even in relatively large company it’s nearly impossible to force users to go beyond corporate rules on formatting the signature. At any time in any place chances are very high we will get the chaos within the settings of users’ signatures. Ones just will be unable to create them at all, others will leave your direction and not set signature at all, while the rest will edit the standardized formatting to what they like to look like and… You will get the chaos. Imagine you will start labeling your corporate logo differently each time you put it somewhere. John will put it that like, Marianne will add some flowers at the very left conner of the logo because she is delighted with the Spring that came earlier (later?) this year. Absurd? For sure. Logo is that kind of things that usually changes only by common agreement and cannot change and depend on the each single person wish. Surely, you can create legal notices, you can stick banners screaming on users and forcing them to comply the rules. But the question is: should you do that? Or to say it better: should THEY do it? At least they were employed to do what they are specializing in and what they can do best, so why bothering them with excess problems and drawing them away from their internal responsibilities. While there are things that people should be able to freely made themselves, there are things at the same time that must be standardized. Just for the sake of following corporate rules, for the sake of what any standards are created for.

First Steps to Automate Creation of Outlook Signature

Here I will go through the process describing the process of how to create e-mail signature for Outlook using automation in the step-by-step manner.

The first thing you start thinking about automation is probably scripting. And because we want to add text here, we need to use Microsoft Office Word. Moreover, Outlook object model as it seemingly seems does not include methods that would allow to create and assign signatures for e-mail messages.

Semi-Automatic Approach

First of all we need to open our application. Because we will use Word here, we need to start Word application.

Set objWord = CreateObject(“Word.Application”)

We are creating objWord object to do that. If we want our application to be visible as we start it allowing the user to see the main application window, we need to set object property accordingly. Thus we can set Visible property of objWord instance to true.

‘objWord.Visible = True

Uncomment the string in the script and you’ll see the window displayed without any document opened in it. Comment it back on and you’ll see only the process instance displayed within the list of your task manager. But aren’t we here to create the signature? To create it we need to create a document that we will fill in further with signature info. To create a new document we need to use Add method and create a objDoc object which will designate the document we are creating:

Set objDoc = objWord.Documents.Add()

Alright. We created the document. Let’s start righting the text. We need some method that will do the job for us. Something like TypeText would be able to do that job for us. But the objWord object doesn’t have such a method contained within its object model. What should we do? Right what we do when we start typing out document. We should put an insertion point within it. What cannot be done with one object can be done with another one. The first thing that Scripting Guys are suggesting to use to type e-mail signature in live is to create Word’s Selection object. Here’s how we do that:

Set objSelection = objWord.Selection

Now we can start writing our first string of text to build the signature. We need to invoke the mentioned TypeText method here:

objDoc.TypeText “FirstName LastName”

Where the FirstName and the LastName strings are placeholders for the text that will be typed in the document. Thus if you will put John Doe here, and run the TypeText method you will see the John Doe string written in the first row of the Microsoft Word document. Now then we usually type the company name under the personal name. Okay, let’s write the name of the company. Let it be the mysterious ACME Corporation:

objDoc.TypeText “FirstName LastName”

But wait, why we got out strings sticked one to each other? That’s because we forgot to do out second action we do when we type the documents, breaking the line and inserting line feed and caret return to it. That is we need to put here our well-known “Press ENTER to continue”. What’s Enter in Word? It is paragraph. Strictly speaking paragraph is more complex thing in Word because it holds style and formatting info, but let cut its capabilities to such a limited scope. To put the paragraph we should add this

objSelection.TypeParagraph()

line to the code.

You can find the whole article here
Extra info on scripts utilizing XML and HTA can be found here
Script Automation: Automatic Genereation of E-mail Signatures on User Side Without User Intervention
How to find and use Office object model documentation
Programming the Outlook object model

Technorati tags: ADSI scripting corporate signature object model outlook object model word object model personal signature mail signature scripting active directory Microsoft Office outlook profiles VBScript outlook signature generate signature

Outlook Profiles: Setting Up Standardized Corporate and Personal Signatures

Sending messages without a signature is not what one would call etiquette correct. Surely when we are mailing to each other in a limited set of participants where everyone knows another person quite well, having a signature can be an excess. But once we are talking about business communications having a proper signature becomes a must.
That’s when we get why we need Word to be a default editor for composing Outlook messages.
How do we setup a signature
For personal needs we do the following
In this example Office Outlook 2003 and Office Word 2003 are covered
1. Launch Outlook and choose Tools|Options to open the Options dialog box
2. In the Options dialog box switch to the Mail Format tab
3. In the Message format select HTML from the Compose in this message format drop-down list
4. Check the Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit e-mail messages
5. Under Signature select account to be which you want the signature be assigned to
6. Click Signatures button and click New button to create the signature.
7. Enter a name to set how you wish signature to be listed in the list of signatures. This is needed to differentiate between signature is you have several signature. I recommend naming convention to be FirstName LastName [Type][Lang] where the stands for the signature type and is used to differentiate between corporate and personal signature. Lang designates the language of the signature what is useful if you work with multilingual customers. So name it to be named as John Doe [Corp][EN], John Doe [Corp][DE], etc
8. If it’s your brand new signature and you have no previously created signatures there, select Start with a blank signature and click Next
9. While in the Signature text box click Advanced Edit to launch Microsoft Office Word
10. When Word will start, type your signature, format it accordingly to confirm personal preferences or corporate rules
11. Save changes to the edited document

There is a nice demo on how to create, apply formatting to bring some elegance to it, and manage profiles by switching between signatures if you have say your corporate and personal signatures.
Inserting signature in a message
Signature Management with Outlook Profiles in Domain environment
Sign off simply in Microsoft Office Word

Technorati:personal+signature corporate+signature mail+signature corporate+mail standardization outlook+profiles Microsoft+Office