OL98: How to Set a Form's From Field Using VBScript

ID: Q182396

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Outlook 98

SUMMARY

You cannot directly change an item's From field using any programming methods in Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft Outlook. If you could, mail could be sent on someone else's behalf without their permission; therefore, the From field is read-only.

Instead, you can use the SentOnBehalfOfName property to set the From field, provided that you were given delegate permissions to send mail on someone else's behalf.

MORE INFORMATION

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   http://www.microsoft.com/support/supportnet/refguide/default.asp

You can use Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript) or Automation to populate various fields on a form. When you create a mail message (MailItem) form to send to someone, the "To" "CC" and "BCC" fields are set by using the Recipients collection.

The following sample code demonstrates how to create a new Mail item and populate the CC: line.

Note: This code illustrates use of Automation from another program.

   'Create an Outlook application object
   Set myOlApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
   'Creates a new MailItem form
   Set myItem = myOlApp.CreateItem(olMailItem)
   'Add Jon Grande to the Recipients collection
   Set myRecipient = myItem.Recipients.Add("Jon Grande")
   'Set the CC field to the Recipients collection defined above
   myRecipient.Type = olCC

You can use the constants olTo, olCC, and olBCC to set the "To", "CC", and "BBC" address fields of the MailItem. However, olOriginator does not set the "From" field.

To set the "From" field, use the SentOnBehalfOfName property of the Item object. The following example demonstrates the use of the SentOnBehalfOfName property:

   'Create an Outlook application object
   Set myOlApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
   'Creates a new MailItem form
   Set myItem = myOlApp.CreateItem(olMailItem)
   'Set the "From" field
   myItem.SentOnBehalfOfName = "Jon Grande"

REFERENCES

For more information about creating solutions with Microsoft Outlook 98, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q180826
   TITLE     : OL98: Resources for Custom Forms and Programming

   ARTICLE-ID: Q182349
   TITLE     : OL98: Questions About Custom Forms and Outlook Solutions

Additional query words: OutSol OutSol98 vba vb

Keywords          : kbprg kbdta kbdtacode OffVBS OffVBA 
Version           : WINDOWS:98
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: May 17, 1999