Can someone confirm that the Outlook 2003 COM object model does not
provide a way to programmatically get, modify, or remove the signature
line of an email?

Furthermore, it doesn't look like Redemption RDO supports manipulating
the signature line either (http://www.google.com/search?q=signature
+site%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimastr.com%2Fredemption
%2F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-
USfficial&client=firefox-a).

I've noticed that a SafeMailItem will contain the signature line as
long as I don't modify the Body property. Has anyone else noticed
that?

Thanks,
Jeff

It certainly is possible to add a signature to an email message. If Word is the editor, it's also easy to remove it, because it's exposed as a Bookmark object. See http://www.outlookcode.com/codedetail.aspx?id=615. If Word is not the email editor, the signature is not distinguished in any way from the rest of the text.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Microsoft Outlook 2007 Programming:
Jumpstart for Power Users and Administrators
http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54


"Jeff" wrote in message oups.com...
Can someone confirm that the Outlook 2003 COM object model does not
provide a way to programmatically get, modify, or remove the signature
line of an email?

Furthermore, it doesn't look like Redemption RDO supports manipulating
the signature line either (http://www.google.com/search?q=signature
+site%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimastr.com%2Fredemption
%2F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-
USfficial&client=firefox-a).

I've noticed that a SafeMailItem will contain the signature line as
long as I don't modify the Body property. Has anyone else noticed
that?

Thanks,
Jeff

Thanks for the link.

I did not see the text of the signature in the value of the Body
property of Redemption's SafeMailItem, as one might expect. Based on
that test, also I assume that the signature would not appear in
RDO.RDOMail.Body, .HTMLBody, .RTFBody either, but I didn't take the
time to test those. I didn't see a ".Signature" property or equivalent
in Outlook COM, Redemption Safe* items, or Redemption RDO objects. Am
I missing something?

In my install of Outlook 2003 (Word as Editor, HTML format by
default) the signature line is getting added as long as I don't
manipulate the SafeMailItem.Body property. Is that expected?

Thanks,
Jeff

There is no Signature property. The operations I describe do not depend on there being one.

It might help if you showed some code. Without that, we have no way of knowing in what order you're performing operations, etc. If you overwrite the Body property, for example, any signature that already exists is going to be replaced by your new Body text.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Microsoft Outlook 2007 Programming:
Jumpstart for Power Users and Administrators
http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54


"Jeff" wrote in message ups.com...
Thanks for the link.

I did not see the text of the signature in the value of the Body
property of Redemption's SafeMailItem, as one might expect. Based on
that test, also I assume that the signature would not appear in
RDO.RDOMail.Body, .HTMLBody, .RTFBody either, but I didn't take the
time to test those. I didn't see a ".Signature" property or equivalent
in Outlook COM, Redemption Safe* items, or Redemption RDO objects. Am
I missing something?

In my install of Outlook 2003 (Word as Editor, HTML format by
default) the signature line is getting added as long as I don't
manipulate the SafeMailItem.Body property. Is that expected?


"Sue Mosher [MVP-Outlook]" wrote in message ...
It certainly is possible to add a signature to an email message. If Word is the editor, it's also easy to remove it, because it's exposed as a Bookmark object. See http://www.outlookcode.com/codedetail.aspx?id=615. If Word is not the email editor, the signature is not distinguished in any way from the rest of the text.


"Jeff" wrote in message oups.com...
Can someone confirm that the Outlook 2003 COM object model does not
provide a way to programmatically get, modify, or remove the signature
line of an email?

Furthermore, it doesn't look like Redemption RDO supports manipulating
the signature line either (http://www.google.com/search?q=signature
+site%3Ahttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.dimastr.com%2Fredemption
%2F&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-
USfficial&client=firefox-a).

I've noticed that a SafeMailItem will contain the signature line as
long as I don't modify the Body property. Has anyone else noticed
that?

You've provided some great ideas on how to work w/ the signature, and
I appreciate them. I'm just trying to focus in on what the Outlook COM
object model alone provides.

For a new email, if setting MailItem.Body erases the signature line of
an email, then one would hope that getting MailItem.Body prior to
setting it would retrieve the signature line of an email.

It'd be nice to be able to do something like this:

pseudocode snippet:

//create a new mail item
MailItem m = folder.Item.Add(OlItemType.olMailItem);

//store off the signature line (if the user has the option on):
String sig = m.Body;

//set Body to be my email content plus whatever the signature line is
m.Body = "my email content" + sig;

Contrary to how I'd like MailItem.Body to work, getting it prior to
setting it returns nothing (even if there is a signature line), and
setting it to something removes the signature line. I see no way to
set the Body of the email to my email content while at the same time
maintaining whatever signature line the user specified to appear in
new emails by default.

Thanks for your patience.

jb

one would hope that getting MailItem.Body prior to
setting it would retrieve the signature line of an email.

It does, if (a) the user has an automatic signature set up and (b) you call MailItem.Display first.

--
Sue Mosher, Outlook MVP
Author of Microsoft Outlook 2007 Programming:
Jumpstart for Power Users and Administrators
http://www.outlookcode.com/article.aspx?id=54


"Jeff" wrote in message ups.com...
You've provided some great ideas on how to work w/ the signature, and
I appreciate them. I'm just trying to focus in on what the Outlook COM
object model alone provides.

For a new email, if setting MailItem.Body erases the signature line of
an email, then one would hope that getting MailItem.Body prior to
setting it would retrieve the signature line of an email.

It'd be nice to be able to do something like this:

pseudocode snippet:

//create a new mail item
MailItem m = folder.Item.Add(OlItemType.olMailItem);

//store off the signature line (if the user has the option on):
String sig = m.Body;

//set Body to be my email content plus whatever the signature line is
m.Body = "my email content" + sig;

Contrary to how I'd like MailItem.Body to work, getting it prior to
setting it returns nothing (even if there is a signature line), and
setting it to something removes the signature line. I see no way to
set the Body of the email to my email content while at the same time
maintaining whatever signature line the user specified to appear in
new emails by default.