How to retrieve contacts by using Outlook Object Model in Visual Basic .NET

The step-by-step article describes how to use the Outlook 10.0 Object Library to retrieve Outlook contacts in Visual Basic .NET.

Create Sample to Retrieve Outlook Contacts

1. Start Microsoft Visual Studio .NET.
2. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Project.
3. Click Visual Basic Projects under Project Types, and then click Console Application under Templates. By default, Module1.vb is created.
4. Add a reference to the Microsoft Outlook 10.0 Object Library. To do this, follow these steps:
   1. On the Project menu, click Add Reference.
   2. Click the COM tab.
   3. Click Microsoft Outlook 10.0 Object Library, and then click Select
   4. Click OK. If you are prompted to generate wrappers for the library that you selected, click Yes.
5. In the Code window, replace the default code with the following code:

   Imports System.Reflection
   
   Module Module1
   
       Sub Main()
           ' Create Outlook application.
           Dim oApp As Outlook.Application = New Outlook.Application()
   
           ' Get NameSpace and Logon.
           Dim oNS As Outlook.NameSpace = oApp.GetNamespace("mapi")
           oNS.Logon("Outlook", Missing.Value, False, True) ' TODO:
   
           ' Get the first contact from the Contacts folder.
           Dim cContacts As Outlook.MAPIFolder = oNS.GetDefaultFolder(Outlook.OlDefaultFolders.olFolderContacts)
           Dim oItems As Outlook.Items = cContacts.Items
   
           Dim oCt As Outlook.ContactItem
   
           Try
   
               oCt = oItems.GetFirst()
   
   
               ' Display some common properties.
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.FullName)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.Title)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.Birthday)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.CompanyName)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.Department)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.Body)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.FileAs)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.Email1Address)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.BusinessHomePage)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.MailingAddress)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.BusinessAddress)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.OfficeLocation)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.Subject)
               Console.WriteLine(oCt.JobTitle)
   
           Catch
   
               Console.WriteLine("an error occurred")
   
           Finally
   
               ' Display
               'oCt.Display(True)
   
               ' Log off.
               oNS.Logoff()
   
               ' Clean up.
               oApp = Nothing
               oNS = Nothing
               oItems = Nothing
               oCt = Nothing
   
           End Try
   
           
       End Sub
   
   End Module
   					

6. Modify the code where you see the TODO comments.
7. Press F5 to build and to run the application.
8. Verify that the first contact is retrieved.

For more information, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site: