Offline Free/Busy Application Readme

Contents
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1) Installation Requirements
2) How to use the application
3) Known Issues
4) How to report bugs
5) Further Information

Section 1
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Installation Requirements

The Offline Free/Busy Application requires certain software components be available on the local machine.  The application itself installs some of these components.  However, you may have to change your settings in order for the components to work.  The required components are:

- Outlook 2000
- Collaboration Data Object 1.21
- MSFlexGrid Control (installed by application)
- ProgressBar Control (installed by application)
- Meeting Request Custom Form (installed by application)
- Offline Free/Busy Availability Control (installed by application)
- Offline Free/Busy COM Add-in (installed by application)
- Offline Free/Busy PropertyPage ActiveX Control (installed by application)

If some of these components are not installed, the application will not function properly.

Section 2
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How to use the application

This application allows you to synchronize Free/Busy information offline as well as query that information to create meeting requests in an offline mode.  The main interfaces to the application that you will see is the Free/Busy property page under Tools/Options in Outlook , the custom Meeting Request form available off your Calendar folder or through the offline Free/Busy menu item and the Offline Free/Busy Menu option.  Please note that you can also place this form in your Organizational Forms library or another folder's Forms library.

One thing to note is that the menu options for the application will appear only when you are connected to your Exchange Server.  In addition, synchronization of offline free/busy information will only occur in a connected state.

Section 3
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Known Issues

1) In this version, there is very minimal error checking in order to find bugs in the code.  If you do run into an error, please report the steps you took to produce the error as well as the error itself to thomriz@microsoft.com
2) The ActiveX control supports only a left mouse button click for the context-sensitive menu.
3) You can only add distribution lists that are less than 50 people in size (let me know if you think this should be changed)
4) Distribution lists are automatically recursed at selection time since membership of DL's is not synchronized down to the client.  For this reason, you cannot view the free/busy information for a distribution list.  You will have to select the individual memebers of the distribution list in the meeting request.
5) You cannot lookup the free/busy information for contacts from your Outlook Address Books.  Contacts added using the Add User menu option will appear at first to be unresolved.
6) Bringing up the property page for the COM Add-in under Tools/Options may take a while the first time it loads depending on the number of people you are synchronizing offline.
7) Help is not implemented in the property page extension (and it may never be :)
8) Enable/Disable macros appears in the publishing of the form even though the form doesn't contain macros.
9) You need to download your offline address book or else you will receive errors in the application.

Section 4
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How to report bugs

Please report all bugs, the component the bug is in as well as the steps to reproduce the bug to thomriz@microsoft.com

Section 5
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Further Information

If you're interested in learning more about developing collaborative applications with Outlook and Exchange, check out the MSPRess book Programming Microsoft Outlook and Exchange at the following locations:

- http://mspress.microsoft.com
- http://shop.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=0735605092
- http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735605092