excel document into outlook calendar ?

[schmitt]

Hi

Is it possible to import an excel document such as an annual shift roster into the calendar on outlook so that the shared calendar on outlook will show others the shift being worked by the individual on a particular week?

Thanks


ps I'm using office 2003 and win xp

 

[Damon Ostrander]

Hi schmitt,

Yes, this is possible. I would recommend doing it with Automation (if you are not familiar with Automation, see the topic "Understanding Automation" in the VBA helps in either Outlook or Excel). Whether you do it in Outlook (i.e., "pulling" the data from Excel) or Excel (i.e., "pushing" the data to Outlook) depends on the functionality you want, but I suspect that the latter would be more likely since the instant you make a change to the calendar in Excel you could immediately run a macro that would open Outlook (if not already open) and update the calendar there, saving you the trouble of opening it manually.

The code you would need depends upon the organization of your calendar data in Excel.

Damon

 

[schmitt]

Hi Damon

Thanks for the reply.

Although I am not conversant with VBA, I will spend some time reading through the help files. Your suggestion of "pushing the data" to Outlook sounds perfect for my requirements.

Any tips on scripting are most welcome.

Many Thanks

Schmitt

 

[Damon Ostrander]

Hi again schmitt,

A few tips:

1. Since you want to 'push' the data from Excel, you will want to be able to access the Outlook object model (enables you to get helps on objects, properties, methods, etc.) from within Excel. To do this you will need to go to Tools > References in the Excel Visual Basic Editor (VBE) and check the Microsoft Outlook xx.x Object Library checkbox.

2. The key in scripting this is in understanding the Outlook object model (in particular, the part of the model relating to the Calendar) well enough to put the desired Excel data into it. I would suggest spending some time in the Outlook VBE perusing the Outlook object model, and practice accessing its objects (e.g., creating and deleting Calendar items) interactively using the VBE Immediate Window (using Print statements to view property values, setting property values, executing methods, etc.). Once you understand the objects, properties, and methods you will need it will be quite easy to do these from Excel VBA.

I hope this helps.

Damon

 

[schmitt]

Thanks for the tips Damon.

I can't seem to find any reference to adding colour labels to an appointment. Is this possible in VBE?

Thanks

Schmitt

 

[Damon Ostrander]

I assume you are referring to the Label associated with the appointment (e.g., a "Personal" label has a light green color). I can't seem to find out what property of the appointment sets the label. I suggest you post this question on an Outlook board where some Outlook experts could have a look at it.

Damon

 

[njimack]

Whenever I've used Excel to control Outlook, my best resource has been http://www.outlookcode.com/