Outlook scripting help

[Ray_Barber]

I’ve just started with apple scripting so I am not very noledgealbe about it yet but I am learning. what i am trying to to is open a web based address book we have here at my work that is tab delemited in a form that outlook express can import, I am trying to create a script that can copy the information from internet explorer paste it into a document in simple text or some other way, and import it the address book in outlook express. so far i have a script that opens ie and goes to the site copies the page creates a file opens it in simpletext and pastes it in there then closes simpletext after this point I am at a hault trying to find a way to get outlook to import through scripting. The whole perpose of this is for employees to just click the script and wallaa the contacts are there in there address book. Any help with this is appriciated.

[Mytzlscript]

I know how to set up display names and email addresses in the contact records so the following script will do that. I don’t know where your web based document resides - if it is on a network you can bypass IE by just reading the document, otherwise just do what you are doing with IE.

You don’t have to use SimpleText to write the data to a text file. I included info on how to do that too.

Hope this helps,

(if the web based, tab delimited address book is on a network, and not on the internet you can just point the script to the file
by enabling the line below. Otherwise just use the method you are via IE)
set addressFileTxt to read “Mac HD:Desktop Folder:address.txt” as text --we’ll use this for writing the file later
set addressFile to read “Mac HD:Desktop Folder:address.txt” as text using delimiter return --we’ll use this list for parsing and making contacts

repeat with thisAddress in addressFile
set oldDelims to AppleScript’s text item delimiters --capture these so you can set them back
set AppleScript’s text item delimiters to tab
set addressPropList to the text items of thisAddress --split this item up at the tabs
set AppleScript’s text item delimiters to oldDelims --set the TID’s back to the default
set dispName to item 1 of addressPropList
set emailAddress to item 2 of addressPropList
tell application “Outlook Express”
set thisEntry to make new contact with properties {display name:dispName, address:emailAddress} --make the entry
end tell
end repeat

(to write to a text file you don’t have to copy and paste using Simpletext You can do the following to get the
text into a file)

–>1. Establish the path to the file

set addressBookFilePath to “Mac HD:AddressBook.txt” --can be named whatever you want

–>2. Make the file, or open access so you can write to it if it already exists
open for access file addressBookFilePath with write permission

–>3. Set the end of the file to 0, this is where we’ll start writing
set eof addressBookFilePath to 0

–>4. Write the data to the file
write addressFileTxt to addressBookFilePath

–>5. close access to the file when done writing
close access addressBookFilePath

[Mytzlscript]

Well, I looked a little deepeer and found that you can access any field in the contact record. In my other post we made a new contact by saying:

make new contact with properties {display name:dispName, address:emailAddress} 

You should be able to use any of the properties below in the above statement: (Found in the OE Dictionary)

Class contact: A contact in the address book
Plural form:
contacts
Elements:
email address by numeric index, satisfying a test
Super classes:
address
Properties:
display name Unicode text – (inherited from the “address” class) the name used for display
address string – (inherited from the “address” class) the e-mail address
ID integer [r/o] – the contact’s unique ID
first name Unicode text – the contact’s first (given) name
last name Unicode text – the contact’s last (sur) name
title Unicode text – the contact’s title
suffix Unicode text – the contact’s name suffix
nickname Unicode text – the contact’s nickname
company Unicode text – the contact’s company
job title Unicode text – the contact’s job title
department Unicode text – the contact’s department
default email address reference – reference to the contact’s default email address
description Unicode text – a text note for the contact
home address postal address – the contact’s home postal address
business address postal address – the contact’s business postal address
other address postal address – the contact’s other postal address
home web page Unicode text – the contact’s home web page
business web page Unicode text – the contact’s business web page
other web page Unicode text – the contact’s other web page
home phone number Unicode text – the contact’s home phone number
other home phone number Unicode text – the contact’s other home phone number
home fax phone number Unicode text – the contact’s home fax phone number
business phone number Unicode text – the contact’s business phone number
other business phone number Unicode text – the contact’s other business phone number
business fax phone number Unicode text – the contact’s business fax phone number
other phone number Unicode text – the contact’s other phone number
other fax phone number Unicode text – the contact’s other fax phone number
pager phone number Unicode text – the contact’s pager phone number
cell phone number Unicode text – the contact’s mobile phone number
main phone number Unicode text – the contact’s main phone number
assistant phone number Unicode text – the contact’s assistant’s phone number
custom phone number one Unicode text – the contact’s first custom phone number
custom phone number two Unicode text – the contact’s second custom phone number
custom phone number three Unicode text – the contact’s third custom phone number
custom phone number four Unicode text – the contact’s fourth custom phone number
home phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s home phone number extension
other home phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s other home phone number extension
home fax phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s home fax phone number extension
business phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s business phone number
other business phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s other business phone number
business fax phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s business fax phone number extension
other phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s other phone number extension
other fax phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s other fax phone number extension
pager phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s pager phone number extension
cell phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s mobile phone number extension
main phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s main phone number extension
assistant phone number extension Unicode text – the contact’s assistant’s phone number extension
custom phone number one extension Unicode text – the contact’s first custom phone number extension
custom phone number two extension Unicode text – the contact’s second custom phone number extension
custom phone number three extension Unicode text – the contact’s third custom phone number extension
custom phone number four extension Unicode text – the contact’s fourth custom phone number extension
custom field one Unicode text – the contact’s first custom field
custom field two Unicode text – the contact’s second custom field
custom field three Unicode text – the contact’s third custom field
custom field four Unicode text – the contact’s fourth custom field
custom field five Unicode text – the contact’s fifth custom field
custom field six Unicode text – the contact’s sixth custom field
custom field seven Unicode text – the contact’s seventh custom field
custom field eight Unicode text – the contact’s eighth custom field
custom date field one Unicode text – the contact’s first custom date field
custom date field two Unicode text – the contact’s second custom date field
custom date field three Unicode text – the contact’s third custom date field
custom date field four Unicode text – the contact’s fourth custom date field
sync with palm boolean – should the contact be synced with the Palm?

so if you wanted to also add the comany name it might be:

make new contact with properties {display name:"Ken Lay", address:KenLay@Enron.com, company:"Enron"} 

[Ray_Barber]

ok here is what I have know but I am still having trouble getting anything Tell me if I have the right idea, Oh I ment to say that the file is comma delimited not tab sorry I think I have it set right now. thanks

(*if the web based, tab delimited address book is on a network, and not on the internet you can just point the script to the file 
by enabling the line below. Otherwise just use the method you are via IE*)
--set addressFileTxt to read "Mac HD:Desktop Folder:address.txt" as text --we'll use this for writing the file later 
set addressFile to read "Powerbook G3:Desktop Folder:address.txt" as text using delimiter return --we'll use this list for parsing and making contacts 

repeat with thisAddress in addressFile
	set oldDelims to AppleScript's text item delimiters --capture these so you can set them back 
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ","
	set addressPropList to the text items of thisAddress --split this item up at the tabs 
	set AppleScript's text item delimiters to oldDelims --set the TID's back to the default 
	set dispTitle to item 1 of addressPropList
	set dispFirstName to item 2 of addressPropList
	set dispLastName to item 3 of addressPropList
	set dispDepartment to item 4 of addressPropList
	set dispemailAddress to item 5 of addressPropList
	tell application "Outlook Express"
		set thisEntry to make new contact with properties {title:dispTitle, first name:dispFirstName, last name:dispLastName, department:dispDepartment, address:dispemailAddress} --make the entry 
	end tell
end repeat

[Mytzlscript]

Works for me. Did you get it to work?

[Ray_Barber]

Yeah The file I am using has a space at the top I can’t figure out how to make the script get rid of One i removed it it worked great thanks for you r help, I do want to know if there is a way I can have it check so if its run again with an updated address book so it won’t import dulplcates?? Am i explaining it clearly. Also The file i am getting the address book from is being produced from a cgi script on the network from a database of names emails exetra. Is there a better way than I am doing to make the address.txt file than opening ie to the page copying and pasting then opening simple text and pasting it?