How to deploy custom Outlook Social Connector Provider

Question

I have developed a simple outlook provider using C# 4.0 and VS 2010 but I am not able to create successfull installation package. I have read a lot of documentation, including links below and I have fullfilled all of the requirements for installing my custom provider on Win7 64 bit and MS Outlook (64 bit), but still I am not succeed.

These are the reference articles:

• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff759430.aspx
• http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff759437.aspx

I am using standart Setup Project and I have added some custom actions within the installation process, where I register my provider's assembly and also register my provider under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\SocialConnector\SocialProviders. The installation proccess completes successfully but when I start an instance of Outlook, my custom provider does not exist in the providers list. Here is the code I use to register the assembly and write to the registry:

//I edit the WR here, where I am adding info about my provider
using (RegistryKey regKey = Registry.CurrentUser.CreateSubKey(@"Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\SocialConnector\SocialProviders\CustomProvider.CustomProvider"))
{
    regKey.SetValue("FriendlyName", “CustomProvider”);
    regKey.SetValue("Url", “www.mySocialNetworkTest.com”);
}

//Register custom provider assembly
string file = base.Context.Parameters["assemblypath"];
RegistrationServices regsrv = new RegistrationServices();
Assembly assembly = Assembly.LoadFrom(file);

regsrv.RegisterAssembly(assembly, AssemblyRegistrationFlags.SetCodeBase);

When I am using the manual process described in http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff759452.aspx to run my custom x64 provider on Outlook 64 bit within my Visual Studio(In debug mode) everthing is OK. My Provider appears in the OSC providers list.

After normal installation my provider is listed in the Windows Registry under: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CLASSESS\CLSID\

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\SocialConnector\SocialProviders

I am trying to find out why my provider does not appear in Outlook. Would you explain the appropriate installation process about custom OSC provider on 64 bit version of Outlook (will be nice if there is an example). It will be great if you could provide me a list with the required key/value pairs situated in Windows Registy, needed for my custom provider to work.

p.s. I am a little bit confused about the role of the networkID value of my custom provider. Should I generate my custom provider’s networkID using guidgen.exe and then to add it in the Windows Registry key - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\SocialConnector\SocialProviders -> LocalProviderList (of course in I have added the same value in SocialNetworkGuid Property of my provider) and should I add the networkId value anywhere else in the Windows Registry?

Answer 1

Here is a sample project that will get you started. Let me know if you have issues.

http://socialsetup.codeplex.com

It's on the download tab, and also checked in through TFS for online browsing. Good luck, and do share details about your app when you can