Command Line Parameter Changes in Outlook
As part of SP3 for Outlook 2003 (and included in SP1 for Outlook 2007) we’ve made a change to the way command line parameters are parsed to ensure Outlook is always doing the right thing. As part of this change, a less common way of attaching files to new e-mail messages through command line parameters with Outlook may be broken in some solutions.
Previously, Outlook under some circumstances would handle an implicit command line parameter without a switch. For example, if a command line argument was provided without a switch, and was a path to a folder in the file system, Outlook would treat the argument with an implicit /select switch flag, displaying that folder in the Explorer window. If the argument was a path to a file on the file system, Outlook would use an implicit /a switch and attach the file to a new message.
As part of making sure that our command line parameters were handled in a predictable manner, we removed the implicit logic in these service packs. You must now explicitly specify the appropriate switch before the path to a folder to display or file to attach. If a solution calls Outlook using an argument without a switch or with an invalid set of switches, the following error is displayed:
For more information on the valid command line switches that are supported by Outlook, take a look at our online documentation for command line switches.
There are a few applications that I’m aware of that have already run into this problem. I wanted to blog about it and make sure everyone knew what was going on and how to fix a solution that no longer works as expected. Command line parameters should always be preceded by a command line switch specifying what to do with the parameter.
Edit: This change was included as part of Outlook 2007 RTM, not just SP1 as I originally stated.
Comments
- Anonymous
December 03, 2007
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
January 08, 2008
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
February 08, 2008
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
February 08, 2008
The comment has been removed - Anonymous
February 08, 2008
Simon: Unfortunately the scenario you are attempting is just broken in SP3. If your solution can be adapted to use the Outlook OM to display a new explorer on a particular folder, I would recommend taking that approach. If that isn’t an option, then please contact Microsoft support to report the issue and optionally request a fix. --Ryan