Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 plugin for Quick dialling from any application like Skype

I always wanted the functionality of select and call a number with Office Communicator from any window. I found an application that exactly does that. It is similar to Skype plugin for Internet Explorer and Firefox as shown here.

The German company ESTOS has developed this ‘helper’ for Office Communicator.

After you install this application, it assigns a default Windows Hotkey F8 for all applications. So when you are reading a mail in your Outlook, and you want to call a number that was listed in there, just select/highlight the number and press F8. The number will be dialled with Office Communicator. You can customise this Hotkey at anytime from Options window.

If the selected text contains a phone number, a phone conversation is started. If the text contains a Sip address (an @ in the text), an instant message conversation is started.

Download this useful application from ESTOS website in your localised language.

Download a free copy of ESTOS PhoneTools

Set up Outlook signature with logo, hyperlink and Active Directory information

I prefer to use Notepad++ for writing scripts like these as it has good syntax highlighting. Create a vbscript file as outlook_signature.vbs

Store this file in a network share accessible by everyone. Get the company logo in a jpg format and store it in the same network share. You could use NETLOGON folder for which all users will have read access.

The following script will work for Outlook 2003 and above. Please note that if you are using Outlook 2000, the script needs to be changed.

———————-
On Error Resume Next

Set objSysInfo = CreateObject(“ADSystemInfo”)
strUser = objSysInfo.UserName
Set objUser = GetObject(“LDAP://” & strUser)

strName = objUser.FullName
strTitle = objUser.Title
‘strDepartment = objUser.Department
‘strCompany = objUser.Company
‘strPhone = objUser.telephoneNumber

Set objWord = CreateObject(“Word.Application”)
Set objDoc = objWord.Documents.Add()
Set objSelection = objWord.Selection
objSelection.Style = “No Spacing”
Set objEmailOptions = objWord.EmailOptions
Set objSignatureObject = objEmailOptions.EmailSignature
Set objSignatureEntries = objSignatureObject.EmailSignatureEntries

‘Name of Staff
objSelection.Font.Name = “Calibri”
objSelection.Font.Bold = True
objSelection.Font.Size = “12″
objSelection.Font.Color = RGB(15,36,62)
objSelection.TypeText strName
objSelection.TypeText(Chr(11))

‘Role of Staff
objSelection.Font.Name = “Calibri”
objSelection.Font.Bold = False
objSelection.Font.Size = “11″
objSelection.Font.Color = 0
objSelection.TypeText strTitle
objSelection.TypeText(Chr(11))

‘Company Logo (stored in network share accessed by everyone)
objSelection.InlineShapes.AddPicture(“\\servername\netlogon\signature.jpg”)
objSelection.TypeParagraph()

‘Company Contact details
objSelection.Font.Color = RGB(38,38,38)
objSelection.TypeText “Tel +44 (0) 744 525 5214″
objSelection.TypeText(Chr(11))
objSelection.TypeText “Fax +44 (0) 744 524 2244″
objSelection.TypeText(Chr(11))
objSelection.Font.Color = RGB(23,54,93)
objLink = objSelection.Hyperlinks.Add(objSelection.Range,“http://www.sujeeth.net/”,,“Sujeeth Home Page”,“www.sujeeth.net”)
objSelection.TypeParagraph()
objSelection.TypeParagraph()

‘environment message
objSelection.Font.Name = “Webdings”
objSelection.Font.Size = “14″
objSelection.Font.Color = RGB(115,155,63)
objSelection.TypeText “P “
objSelection.Font.Name = “Calibri”
objSelection.Font.Size = “9″
objSelection.TypeText “Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.”

Set objSelection = objDoc.Range()

objSignatureEntries.Add “Standard Signature”, objSelection
objSignatureObject.NewMessageSignature = “Standard Signature”
objSignatureObject.ReplyMessageSignature = “Standard Signature”

objDoc.Saved = True
objWord.Quit
———————-

You can download the above script from pastebin

After you save the script in the network share, you can call this file from users’ Logon script or directly on the user machine using cscript

cscript \\servername\netlogon\outlook_signature.vbs

Once you run the script, check your Outlook if it has been properly setup. When you open a new email message, the signature should automatically append.

The signature files are usually stored in Application Data\Microsoft\Signatures folder

If you get problems with line spacing, use vbNewline instead of Chr(11)

You can check for Outlook 2000 version as following.

set outlook = createobject(“outlook.application”)

If outlook.version = “9.0.0.2711″ or outlook.version = “9.0.0.3011″ or outlook.version = “9.0.0.3821″ or outlook.version = “9.0.0.4105″ or outlook.version = “9.0.0.4201″
or outlook.version = “9.0.0.4527″ or outlook.version = “9.0.0.5414″ Then
Outlook2000 = True
End If

Communicator Add In for Outlook 2007

 Michael Dunn, a Senior Consultant for Microsoft developed an Add-In for Outlook 2007 which allows you to view and interact with your entire contact list from Office Communicator 2007.

This Add-In allows users to keep working in Outlook as well as view presence, call or instant message thier contacts. Outlook already gives you presence and functionality to communicate with the people for the currently selected email, but if you want to communicate with some one that isn’t included on the original email, you’d have to switch to Communicator. The idea behind this Add-In is that a lot of people spend the majority of their day in Outlook, so why do should you have to switch to another program to get presence and communicate with them?

The application with source code is available at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/Communicator4Outlook

An other intresting Add-in for Outlook is Xobni. Xobni (Inbox spelled in reverse) is the Outlook plug-in that saves you time finding email conversations, contacts and attachments. It provides threaded conversations, Email analytics, personal assistant (for those who cant afford one) etc… Here is my outlook with both the plug-ins in action.

Communicator & Xobni for Outlook 2007