e-mail attachments

does anyone know, how to open an attachment? (from an e-mail)
thanks!

Assuming that you are using VB with the Outlook Object Model, the only methods I know of are DELETE and SAVEASFILE for attachments:
ie.:
Outlook.olMailItem.Attachments(0).SaveAsFile folder&"\"&...Attachments(0).FileName

You could save it and then find a way in VB to open the file as the next line of your program

Hope this is of some use

I am looking for a way to read attachments. Found this solution,
but it leaves you with temporary files...

Anyone could improve or suggest a better way?

Code:

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Option Explicit
'put a reference to
'Microsoft Outlook (highest number) Object Library
'(this example has been developed with 9.0 (=outlook 2000))
Const SEE_MASK_INVOKEIDLIST = &HC
Const SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS = &H40
Const SEE_MASK_FLAG_NO_UI = &H400
Private Type SHELLEXECUTEINFO
    cbSize As Long
    fMask As Long
    hwnd As Long
    lpVerb As String
    lpFile As String
    lpParameters As String
    lpDirectory As String
    nShow As Long
    hInstApp As Long
    lpIDList As Long
    lpClass As String
    hkeyClass As Long
    dwHotKey As Long
    hIcon As Long
    hProcess As Long
End Type

Private Declare Function ShellExecuteEx Lib "shell32.dll" (SEI As SHELLEXECUTEINFO) As Long
Private Declare Function GetTempPath Lib "kernel32" Alias "GetTempPathA" (ByVal nBufferLength As Long, ByVal lpBuffer As String) As Long
'
'
Private Sub Command1_Click()
Dim OutApp As Outlook.Application
Dim OutNS As Outlook.NameSpace
Dim OutFolder As Outlook.MAPIFolder
Dim outMail As Outlook.MailItem
Dim outVariant As Variant
Dim FileName As String

On Error GoTo ErrClick
'instancing outlook
Set OutApp = New Outlook.Application
'instancing namespace
Set OutNS = OutApp.GetNamespace("MAPI")
'goto inbox
Set OutFolder = OutNS.GetDefaultFolder(olFolderInbox)
'serach for first nmail with  attachment
For Each outVariant In OutFolder.Items
    'if it is a mailitem
    If TypeOf outVariant Is Outlook.MailItem Then
       
        Set outMail = outVariant
        'count attachments
        If outMail.Attachments.Count > 0 Then
            'found a mail with one or more attachments
            'save first attachment
            '(nb: index starts from 1!)
            FileName = outMail.Attachments.Item(1).FileName
            Dim strTemp As String
           
            'save on disK
           
            strTemp = String(100, Chr$(0))
            'Get the temporary path
            GetTempPath 100, strTemp
            'strip the rest of the buffer
            strTemp = Left$(strTemp, InStr(strTemp, Chr$(0)) - 1)
            'add a dummy letter in name,
            'as the tryue name may be in use by outlook
            'in the temp dir
            If Dir(strTemp & "a" & FileName) = "" Then
                outMail.Attachments.Item(1).SaveAsFile strTemp & "a" & FileName
                Call OpenAttachment(strTemp & "a" & FileName)
               
            End If
           
            'was just an experiment. Close all, and exit searching mails
            'with attachments
            outMail.Close olDiscard
            Exit For
        End If
    End If
Next outVariant
'Cleaning:

ExitClick:
Set outMail = Nothing
Set outVariant = Nothing
Set OutFolder = Nothing
Set OutNS = Nothing
If Not OutApp Is Nothing Then
    OutApp.Quit
End If
Set OutApp = Nothing
Exit Sub

ErrClick:
    MsgBox Err.Description
    Resume ExitClick
   
End Sub
'
'
Private Sub OpenAttachment(FileName As String)
Dim SEI As SHELLEXECUTEINFO

    Dim r As Long
    With SEI
        'Set the structure's size
        .cbSize = Len(SEI)
        'Seet the mask
        '.fMask = SEE_MASK_NOCLOSEPROCESS Or _
        ' SEE_MASK_INVOKEIDLIST Or SEE_MASK_FLAG_NO_UI
        'Set the owner window
        .hwnd = Me.hwnd ' OwnerhWnd
        'open
        .lpVerb = "Open"
        'Set the filename
        .lpFile = FileName
        .lpParameters = vbNullChar
        .lpDirectory = vbNullChar
        .nShow = 0
        .hInstApp = 0
        .lpIDList = 0
    End With
    'open associated program for that attachment
    r = ShellExecuteEx(SEI)
End Sub

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