Problems with outlook.dll

[Gerd]

Hi!
(i hope my english is good enough to understand) ;-)

Im writing a tool to import/export contacts as vcards and have some trouble while accessing data:

*************************************
First problem: Contact.WebPage

setting Contact.WebPage by program to a nonvalid URL (without leading http://) produced an runtime error - not a real problem: syntaxcheck is possible;-)

BUT:

If Contact.Webpage contains an non valid URL (entering or editing the contact manually by user) then accessing to this field produces an runtime error!

How to access or syntaxcheck this field if every access fails?


***********************************************
Second problem: Contact.Birthday and Contact.Anniversary

If the user has no date(s) in an contact entry the query

strDate = Date(Contact.Birthday) delivers the date: 01/01/1601

in this case the reverse operation:

Contact.Birthday = ParseDate(strDate)

generates an runtime error to!

If birthdday or anniversary set to an actual date -> No problem


************************************************** ****
my sample code for the second problem (in case its an human problem):
************************************************** ****

Sub Globals
'Declare the global variables here.
End Sub

Sub App_Start
ErrorLabel(errHandler)
Form1.Show
Contact.New1
PimCol.New1("Contacts")
nr = PimCol.FindItem("LastName","Tester")
If nr > -1 Then
Contact.Value = PimCol.GetItem(nr)

ContactDateTicks=Contact.Birthday
ContactDateString=Date(Contact.Birthday)

'reverse operation
ContactDateNewTicks=DateParse(ContactDateString)

'for showing query results only
Label1.Text = ContactDateTicks &crlf
Label1.Text = Label1.Text & ContactDateString &crlf
Label1.Text = Label1.Text & ContactDateNewTicks &crlf

'following line now fails if Contact entry is not set to a ?valid? date
Contact.Birthday = ContactDateNewTicks
Contact.Update
Else
Label1.Text = "Create a contact with Lastname: Tester first!"
End If
Label1.Text = Label1.Text & "SUCCESS!"
Form1.Refresh
Sleep(3000)
AppClose

errHandler:
Label1.Text = Label1.Text & "FAIL!"
Form1.Refresh
Sleep(4000)
AppClose
End Sub

[Erel]

1) You will need to use ErrorLabel to handle invalid URL pages.
2) I don't see this behavior when I run similar code.
What happens if you do: Msgbox(DateParse("01/01/1601")) ?

[Gerd]

Now i know a little bit more...

Originally Posted by Erel

1)

2) I don't see this behavior when I run similar code.
What happens if you do: Msgbox(DateParse("01/01/1601")) ?

I see: 504911232 000000000

at least two hours i tried some code to create a new or update an existing contact with an birthday entry :

This date/code really fails:
Contact.Birthday = DateParse("01/01/1601")

And this really works:
Contact.Birthday = DateParse("01/01/1901")

BUT!!!

The error accours not at putting the data into Contact.Birthday! The errors occours at:
Contact.update or PimCol.AddItem(Contact.Value)


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Code sample - in any case msgbox() will be showed with the ticks.
After closing the MsgBox the Message "Fail" will be displayed (or not)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sub App_Start
ErrorLabel(errHandler)
Form1.Show
Contact.New1
PimCol.New1("Contacts")
Contact.CreateNew
Contact.LastName="Tester"
' Contact.Birthday = DateParse("01/01/1901") ' with this line it works
Contact.Birthday = DateParse("01/01/1601") ' with this line it fails
Msgbox(Contact.Birthday)

PimCol.AddItem(Contact.Value)
Sleep(3000)
AppClose

errHandler:
Label1.Text = "FAIL!"
Form1.Refresh
Sleep(4000)
AppClose
End Sub


+++++++++++++++

[agraham]

According to Microsoft Embedded developer Centre Pocket Outlook model

Maximum/Minimum Dates for Calendar Entries

These constants define the maximum and minimum date values for Calendar entries.

Constant Value Description
CAL_MAXDATE (DATE) 401768 12/31/2999
CAL_MINDATE (DATE) 0 12/30/1899
DATE_NONE (DATE) 949998 1/1/4501
Pocket PC for Windows Mobile Version 5.0 and later, Smartphone for Windows Mobile Version 5.0 and later

Could it be because "01/01/1601" is out of range?

[Erel]

I think that agraham is right (as usual) about the valid range of dates.

[Gerd]

Originally Posted by Erel

I think that agraham is right (as usual) about the valid range of dates.

I agree!

Manualy entering a date less then 1900 will be automatically corrected!

Now i know that something goes wrong inside outlook.dll/Win Mobile 6/my Smartphone, that it is generating an non valid date while reading an empty entry ...

So I have wrote a small hack around...

Thanks to all and i wish you a happy new year!

Gerd