Handling Errors when Opening Outlook Attachments
Back in 2013 when I returned to using Outlook as an email client (new job, prior job used Google Apps), I was sprucing up some old code. I have two problems with the code on that page; one I’m solving here and one I don’t know how to solve yet.
The first problem is when someone sends me two attachments. I want to open the first, but have no interest in the second. Most recently this problem manifests itself as an invoice and a packing list. I need the invoice, but I don’t need the packing list. Alt+3 (this macro is third on my QAT) opens the last attachment first, so I’m stuck opening the packing list, closing it, then opening the invoice. In practice, I open it the old fashioned way (Shft+Tab, Home, Ctrl+Shft+RightArrow, Menu, O). Go ahead and try it. You know you want to. The Menu key is the key between Alt and Ctrl on the right side of my keyboard. Even if I concentrate really hard on the first attachment, the code still opens them just like a programmed. I don’t have a solution for this.
The second problem is when someone sends me an attachment with no file extension or some bullshit file extension. I get a text file with a .success extension from a website telling me my upload worked. I’m not sure if they’re just being clever or if there is some other significance, but I do know that Windows, and more specifically WScript.Shell, doesn’t know how to open it. I had some code that checked for no extension and opened it in Notepad++, but recently changed it to handle any unknown file extension.
Dim oShell As Object
Dim miNew As MailItem
On Error GoTo ErrHandler
If olAtt.Type = olEmbeddeditem Then
Set miNew = Application.GetNamespace("MAPI").OpenSharedItem(sPath & sFile)
miNew.Display
Else
sFile = GetShortFileName(sPath & sFile)
Set oShell = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
oShell.Run sFile
End If
ErrExit:
Exit Sub
ErrHandler:
Select Case Err.Number
Case -2147023741
oShell.Run "C:PROGRA~1NOTEPA~1NOTEPA~1.EXE" & Space(1) & sFile
Case Else
MsgBox Err.Number & vbNewLine & Err.Description
End Select
Resume ErrExit
End Sub
Good ol’ error handling. If WScript.Shell can’t open the file, it throws error -2147023741, better known as Automation error. No application is associated with the specified file for this operation. When that happens, it opens the file in Notepad++. That may not always be the best choice, but usually is. Happy keyboarding.