.NET CF: Syncing with OutlookSession without opening Outlook - General Questions and Answers

I'm currently working on a program that will trigger Outlook to send/receive new messages on every email box. So far, it's working perfectly, except for one small issue: Every time it syncs, turns the screen on (if it was off) and opens Outlook.
I'd rather have it done in the background, so that the phone's screen doesn't come on and the Outlook inbox doesn't pop up. Is this possible at all? I'm ONLY using OutlookSession to synchronize, nothing else, so I'm interested in any solution you may have.
For reference, I'm using VB.NET with a smart device application targeted towards Windows Mobile 6.0 and .NET Compact Framework 3.5. If you have a C# solution, I don't mind that either, I can translate it.
Thanks!

Related

Gmail Notifier for WM5/PPC

Hey everyone...
Just wondering if anyone had come up with a Gmail Notifier type program (or an acceptable workaround) for the Today page. Specifically, I am looking for the following features:
1. Checks your Gmail account every X minutes and notifies you on the Today page if you have new unread mail.
2. Does NOT download the headers (see #3).
3. If you check/read your email on your home computer, the next time your WM/PPC device checks for new messages, it will clear the 'unread mail' alert as those messages are no longer unread.
4. Uses data connection, not SMS.
Item #3 is the biggie for me. I use multiple PCs/devices (work desktop, work laptop, home desktop, home laptop, 8525/Hermes) and therefore want to manage all my mail via my browser since it will always be consistent no matter which machine I'm using. I do NOT want to have to clear/delete headers off my mobile device after I have already read the mail using one of my PCs.
I just want a flag to show on the Today page if I have currently unread mail sitting in my Gmail box and to go away when I don't... no matter which machine checks/reads the message(s).
Even better would be if it supported multiple Gmail accounts and Gmail for Domains.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
You almost hear the crickets in the silence.
This would be a great thing if it could be accomplished. I can write something like that in Linux using PHP, and then port it to Windows, but there's no way I could get close to doing something like that for the mobile, you're prolly better off using the GMail client from gmail.com/m and just setting it to download headers only, not the body, since it's just a simplified interface to the website for the phone. I used it on my SE w810i for a while because I was out of the house for over 20 hours one day and wanted to check my mail. (GPRS/EDGE data connection for the win.)
Finally, someone has taken this project on! Egil has developed a gmail notifier for Windows Mobile. I've been using it for about a week now. Works well. It is still a work in progress.
Its nice not to have to delete the headers I was downloading via POP3.
http://www.egilh.com/blog/articles/poGmail.aspx
Good news! Gmail is going to support IMAP.
So reading a message on your PocketPC will change the status to read on the server.
It will be interesting to see if using IMAP through Pocket Outlook will work any better/easier.
Just waiting for IMAP to be enabled on my account so I can compare.
IMAP doesn't need to appear on your GMail settings!
http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=78799
But instead of entering port numbers enter imap.gmail.com:993
cmartino, what device were you able to get poGmail running on?
Did you get a today screen plug-in to appear?
Did you install ".NET Compact Framework 2.0"?
I still like SMS for email notification because it does not drain the battery and is true push. The problem: SMS is usually not free. The solution: peekamo, the only SMS service free on both receiving and sending.
On one of my servers, I run a Perl script to check gmail via atom feeds and then send a SMS to my phone via peekamo. Works like a charm, love it.
strikeone said:
cmartino, what device were you able to get poGmail running on?
Did you get a today screen plug-in to appear?
Did you install ".NET Compact Framework 2.0"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Installed on WM 6.1 which includes .net CF 2.0. Today plugin seems to only work when run from \program files\ (tried \extendedrom\program files\ to no avail).
Nice little app - worth a look if you aren't totally enamored with pocket outlook...
cmartino said:
Finally, someone has taken this project on! Egil has developed a gmail notifier for Windows Mobile. I've been using it for about a week now. Works well. It is still a work in progress. Its nice not to have to delete the headers I was downloading via POP3. http://www.egilh.com/blog/articles/poGmail.aspx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that site no longer exists, any ideas where to find a good gmail notifier?

New email notification

Hello,
I have an issue with the way I use email that I've noticed in both WM5 and now WM6 (ie. no improvement!), and was wondering if anyone else has any ideas:
I use a server-side rule to move all incoming email that matches a certain filter into a separate folder (what this actually catches all emails sent to another email address which is in turn forwarded to my Exchange box), therefore I have my normal 'Inbox' another folder called 'Inbox 2'. This works very well for my needs, and indeed ActiveSync and DirectPush all work fine on my Windows Mobile device (have the 'Inbox 2' folder setup to sync).
The only problem is email notification on Windows Mobile. When I get a new email (using DirectPush) it gets pushed to my device and up pops the New Mail prompt. However, when I get a new email that automatically gets put in the 'Inbox 2' folder (server side) even though it gets pushed to my Windows Mobile device I do not get any notification. This means I find myself manually looking in this folder a few times a day to see if there are any updates.
Anyone else have a usage pattern similar? Any ideas on how to trigger a notification?
Cheers, Simon
I also use folders to categorize email, and as far as I've noticed, I do get the new email icon when a message goes into a filtered folder. What device/ROM are you using, as that may be one part of the problem/solution.
Urthwhyte said:
I also use folders to categorize email, and as far as I've noticed, I do get the new email icon when a message goes into a filtered folder. What device/ROM are you using, as that may be one part of the problem/solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi - thanks for your reply!
Setup as follows:
HTC Touch, standard out-of-box ROM (WM6)
and i-Mate JAMin, standard ROM oem updated from HTC web site (WM5)
DirectPush email via Exchange 2003 Server
Server-side rule processing (ie. defined in Outlook 2007 but then stored and actioned on the server, thus rules work pre the emails hitting the client - part of the problem I think).
Any input you could offer greatly appreciated.
Cheers, Simon
After an exensive test of one (1) email, specifically created to trip my rules, it does appear that you don't get a notification. I'm now with the OP and would love it if someone knew of a reghack or modification to settings that would make these emails trigger a notification.
I'm on a HTC Wizard with mfrazz's Xda Release 3a and the same DirectPush enabled Exchange 2003 with serverside rules.
I think this is 'by design' (ie. you actually get exactly the same functionality in Outlook 2007 client on your desktop, however I've created a custom client-side rule to trigger a notification when emails are received to my filtered folders).
I too like you would ideally be looking for a reg hack (or similar) to extend the folder(s) which the built-in notification on Windows Mobile monitors.
<fingers crossed!>
Anyone know a solution for this? I do have the same issue.

Exchange Server email program

I've searched for this particular issue and basically haven't found a solution for the Pocket PC but I know one must be out there. Here's my problem:
I've got two Exchange Server accounts I need to sync on the same device (HTC Fuze, a.k.a. HTC-4600) as well as some POP3 email accounts. However, I specifically do not want to sync the calendar information from either Exchange account. I need a third party program, I'd imagine, to accomplish this.
I've seen where people have said it can't be done but I've been doing this for years on a Treo 650 and Treo 680 using ChatterMail+ application, which does just this. However, that's a Palm OS application and I've moved on to Windows Mobile 6.1. I figure there's got to be something out there similar to ChatterMail (which is only for the Palm OS). With one Exchange Account I've actually got access to the full Outlook integration on the desktop (although I don't want it) and with the other I'm limited to Outlook Web Access anyway.
Does anyone know of any software that can accomplish this on the WM6.1 platform? Any help is appreciated.
By the way, that's two exchange server email accounts (but just the "Inbox" from each - not the calendar, contacts, notes, etc.) on one AT&T Fuze (a.k.a. HTC Raphael 101) while still syncing the calendar, contacts, notes, (Everything but email) with my PC. Anyone got any ideas or am I ignoring some feature of the Fuze?
i believe all you need to do is go into server settings and deselect the calendar sync. also i think from WinMo 5 on we can sync to 2 and up to (i maybe wrong) 4 exchange servers.
Close, but...
flipfone said:
i believe all you need to do is go into server settings and deselect the calendar sync. also i think from WinMo 5 on we can sync to 2 and up to (i maybe wrong) 4 exchange servers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply, but that's not quite what I'm looking for. I didn't explain it very well in the original post but the two exchange servers only allow the OWA interface; they do not have IMAP4 or anything enabled. That program on the PalmOS, Chattermail++ with the Exchange plug-in, allowed those two accounts to sync the email somehow despite the limitations imposed by those exchange servers.
Also, I have to keep calendar checked because I want it to sync with my desktop Outlook calendar (I run my work OS in a virtual machine, so one of my Exchange Server accounts is in Outlook on a VM, that way I keep my personal and work appointments separate). That Chattermail++ did all this, so I'm really looking for a replacement for that program. I've settled on Flexmail4, and the only drawback to that is there's no exchange plug-in to get me into the OWA like on the PalmOS. But, that may have been a one-of-a-kind thing.
ok you can disable calendar in one server and not the other the settings are separate or all servers. but i know nothing about owa settings and syncro. Sorry i cant help ya except maybe you may wish to run a palm emulator so that you can run chattermail? Just a thought, i personally wouldnt want to run that way.Either way please post your findings im interested.
I've been playing around with the two browsers (Opera and IE) included to access OWA. The Opera browser will remember my login credentials for me, which is very handy, but it has a very strange glitch when loading the OWA pages; most of the time it will chop off the top part of the page if you are at all zoomed in (zooming in is mandatory if you want to actually read your email using Opera). The top of the OWA pages, unfortunately, is where "Reply, Reply All, Forward, Delete, etc." commands are located. You're unable to scroll up to them or zoom out to see them, which pretty much makes OWA unusable in Opera. Using IE to access OWA is better since the entire page is accessible. However, the left-hand frame with the "Inbox, Folders, Options, Logoff, etc." menu takes up over half of the screen even on landscape mode. So you've got to click and drag to expand the actual message area. Also, IE does not remember my login settings for OWA which is a pain.
So that's the state of my findings at present. The PPC program "Chronobis" (http://www.chronobis.com/) has got the right idea on the functionality I'm looking for, except it can sync everything but email! That's the kind of functionality (interaction with OWA) that I need for the exchange server email accounts.

Problems Synchronising Notes with outlook

Just was wondering have anyone else also problems with synchronising notes with outlook. Maybe one time out of 50 I get the Pro synchronised with outlook but mostly I get ether a message that attendance required or just plain error. And of course the microsoft synchronisation program is one of the worst programs I have ever seen from user friendliness. When I bought this phone I had to transfer contacts and everything else from the old phone at least twice because during the first synchronisation periods I either got all contacts double or they disappeared next time same with calendar and tasks. Very confusing is also the frase keep in device or keep in desktop all the time confusing where the hell will the notes or else will be left.
But as I understand there is no alternative either.

WM6.1 Pocket Outlook & pop3 Gmail problems

Main issue is regarding current inbox mail being deleted upon next send/receive.
This is a well documented problem but is there any real solutions rather than workarounds.
My old WM2003SE had the download size option box with the header option which was a great way of overcoming this problem.
Now the wise Micro$osft engineers have removed the ability to set download size when opting for header setting in WM6.1 !
Can this be hacked ?
I like the UI of Pocket Outlook & do not want to use other mail client software.
I also do not want to forward mail to other addresses, nor use the gmail "recent" mode.
Option I'm trying at the moment is Pocket Outlook Mail Organizer, this allows me to set rules for gmail accounts on Pocket Outlook & move the gmail inbox mail to another folder after downloading.
This is a workaround but quite a tidy one.
Anyone developing other software to help in this issue or have good advise ?
Thanks,
Purely personally i use the IMAP setup for gmail. If this is what you are referring to as "recent" mode then it has obviously been discounted. If not then have a look it may be what you are after.
Most Gmail users are going for IMAP setup due to the conflict between Pocket Outlook & Gmails smart server software when using POP3.
I prefer the old POP3 setup, for my circumstances it's the best option but does not function correctly due to conflicting smart software.
The Pocket Outlook Mail organizer solves my problem at the moment but what i'm really looking for is a hack to implement size settings to "download header only" option in WM6.1 Pocket Outlook. I hate it when micro$oft go backwards rather than forwards with development !
Oh how I wish I studied software engineering rather than mechanical engineering !

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