outlookMail.SentAs is it possible? - vba

Question

I am creating a macro to send personalised business communications from a shared mailbox.
Below is the code:
Sub EnhancedMailMergeToEmail()
' Macro created by Imnoss Ltd
' Please share freely while retaining attribution
' Last Updated 2021-11-06
' REFERENCES REQUIRED!
' This Macro requires you to add the following libraries:
' "Microsoft Outlook xx.x Object Library" (replace xx.x with version number) and "Microsoft Scripting Runtime"
' To add them, use the "Tools" menu and select "References". Tick the check boxes next to the two libraries and press OK.
' declare variables
Dim outlookApp As Outlook.Application
Dim outlookMail As Outlook.MailItem
Dim outlookAccount As Outlook.Account
Dim fso As FileSystemObject
Dim f As Object
Dim attachFile As File
Dim mm As MailMerge
Dim df As MailMergeDataField
Dim singleDoc As Document
Dim mailBody As String
Dim lastRecordNum As Long
Dim recordCount As Long
Dim sendFlag As Boolean
Dim validRowFlag As Boolean
Dim tempFileName As String
Dim tempFolderName As String
Dim fieldName As String
Dim inputDate As Date
' identify the mail merge of the active document
Set mm = ActiveDocument.MailMerge
' check for the mail merge state being that of a mail merge ready to go
If mm.State <> wdMainAndDataSource Then
If MsgBox("Mailmerge not set up for active document - cannot perform mailmerge. Macro will exit.", vbOKOnly + vbCritical, "Error") = vbOK Then Exit Sub
End If
' set lastRecordNum to the number of the last active record (reached using wdLastRecord
mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord = wdLastRecord
lastRecordNum = mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord
' if the lastRecordNum is less than 50 we assume some may have been deselected so we count only the active records
' counting more than 50 records takes too long
If lastRecordNum < 50 Then
mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord = wdFirstRecord
recordCount = 0
Do While True
' run through the fields to check if a valid email address is provided in any of the "to", "cc" or "bcc" fields (valid address = contains an "#")
' also detect if the row is marked to be ignored
validRowFlag = False
For Each df In mm.DataSource.DataFields
' clean up the provided field name by running through the name letter by letter and adding only letters to the variable fieldName
fieldName = ""
For i = 1 To Len(df.Name)
Select Case Asc(LCase(Mid(df.Name, i, 1)))
Case 97 To 122
fieldName = fieldName & LCase(Mid(df.Name, i, 1))
End Select
Next i
Select Case fieldName
Case "ignore"
Select Case LCase(df.Value)
Case "true", "yes", "y", "ignore"
validRowFlag = False
Exit For
End Select
Case "to", "cc", "bcc"
If InStr(1, df.Value, "#", vbTextCompare) > 0 Then
validRowFlag = True
End If
End Select
Next
If validRowFlag Then
recordCount = recordCount + 1
End If
If mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord = lastRecordNum Then
Exit Do
Else
mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord = wdNextRecord
End If
Loop
Else
recordCount = lastRecordNum
End If
If recordCount = 0 Then
If MsgBox("Cannot find any active / valid / not to be ignored records. Macro will Exit", vbOKOnly + vbCritical, "Error") = vbOK Then Exit Sub
End If
' Give the user an opportunity to abort, and also the option to save the emails in drafts, or send immediately
Select Case MsgBox("MailMerge to email will proceed for " & IIf(recordCount < 50, recordCount & " active", recordCount) & " records." _
+ Chr(10) + Chr(10) + _
"Click 'Yes' to send the emails immediatly, 'No' to save the emails in draft, and 'Cancel' to abort.", _
vbYesNoCancel + vbDefaultButton2 + vbQuestion, "Send Emails")
Case vbCancel
Exit Sub
Case vbYes
sendFlag = True
Case Else
sendFlag = False
End Select
' set variables
' outlookApp is used to control outlook to send an email
' fso is used to read the HTML file with the email content
Set outlookApp = New Outlook.Application
Set fso = New FileSystemObject
' we need to use a temporary file to store the html generated by mail merge
' fso.GetTempName creates a name with the extension tmp. We remove this
' because image files are stored in a folder with the name without the extension and with "_files" at the end
tempFileName = Replace(fso.GetTempName, ".tmp", "")
mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord = wdFirstRecord
recordCount = 0
' loop through all the records
Do While lastRecordNum > 0
' run through the fields to check if a valid email address is provided in any of the "to", "cc" or "bcc" fields (valid address = contains an "#")
' also detect if the row is marked to be ignored
validRowFlag = False
For Each df In mm.DataSource.DataFields
' clean up the provided field name by running through the name letter by letter and adding only letters to the variable fieldName
fieldName = ""
For i = 1 To Len(df.Name)
Select Case Asc(LCase(Mid(df.Name, i, 1)))
Case 97 To 122
fieldName = fieldName & LCase(Mid(df.Name, i, 1))
End Select
Next i
Select Case fieldName
Case "ignore"
Select Case LCase(df.Value)
Case "true", "yes", "y", "ignore"
validRowFlag = False
Exit For
End Select
Case "to", "cc", "bcc"
If InStr(1, df.Value, "#", vbTextCompare) > 0 Then
validRowFlag = True
End If
End Select
Next
' only create an email if there is a valid addressa and the row is not marked as to be ignored
If validRowFlag Then
' use mailmerge to create a new document for one record (defined by mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord)
mm.Destination = wdSendToNewDocument
mm.DataSource.FirstRecord = mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord
mm.DataSource.LastRecord = mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord
mm.Execute Pause:=False
' save the generated doc as a html file in the temp directory
Set singleDoc = ActiveDocument
singleDoc.SaveAs2 FileName:=Environ("Temp") & Application.PathSeparator & tempFileName & ".tmp", FileFormat:=wdFormatFilteredHTML
singleDoc.Close SaveChanges:=wdDoNotSaveChanges
Set singleDoc = Nothing
' read the html from the temp directory using fso
mailBody = fso.OpenTextFile(Environ("Temp") & Application.PathSeparator & tempFileName & ".tmp", 1).ReadAll
' create a new email message in outlook
Set outlookMail = outlookApp.CreateItem(olMailItem)
' display the email so that any images display correctly
outlookMail.Display
' clear the content of the email and remove all attachments (i.e. clear the signature and any images in the signature)
outlookMail.HTMLBody = ""
Do While outlookMail.Attachments.Count > 0
outlookMail.Attachments.Remove 1
Loop
' ensure formatting is HTML
outlookMail.BodyFormat = olFormatHTML
' if the html contains images, then they will be stored in a directory called
' tempFileName followed by the _files in the local language (e.g. _bestanden in Dutch)
' so we need to find the directory, and the loop through each of the files
' checking to see if the files are included in the email as an image (i.e. as 'src="..."')
' if the image is included then the image is attached to the email as a hidden attachment
' and the image path is updated to point to the attached image
' try and find the temporary folder name which would contain any images
tempFolderName = ""
For Each f In fso.GetFolder(Environ("Temp")).SubFolders
If Left(f.Name, Len(tempFileName) + 1) = tempFileName & "_" Then
tempFolderName = f.Name
Exit For
End If
Next
' if the folder has been found, iterate through the files
If tempFolderName <> "" Then
For Each attachFile In fso.GetFolder(Environ("Temp") & Application.PathSeparator & tempFolderName).Files
If InStr(1, mailBody, "src=""" & tempFolderName & "/" & attachFile.Name & """", vbBinaryCompare) > 0 Then
outlookMail.Attachments.Add attachFile.Path, 1, 0
mailBody = Replace(mailBody, "src=""" & tempFolderName & "/" & attachFile.Name & """", "src=""cid:" & attachFile.Name & """")
End If
Next
End If
' add the mail body from the html created via mailmerge and updated for the newly attached images
outlookMail.HTMLBody = mailBody
' run through all the fields in the mail merge data, when an email field is identified add the data to the appropriate field
For Each df In mm.DataSource.DataFields
' first check for the field being populated for the active record (row), only check if there is data provided
If Trim(df.Value) <> "" Then
' try matching the field name to accepted field names
' the field name is cleaned up by running through the name letter by letter and adding only letters to the variable fieldName
fieldName = ""
For i = 1 To Len(df.Name)
Select Case Asc(LCase(Mid(df.Name, i, 1)))
Case 97 To 122
fieldName = fieldName & LCase(Mid(df.Name, i, 1))
End Select
Next i
Select Case fieldName
Case "to"
' add in the to address or addresses as they are presented in the data, multiple address should be separated by a semicolon
outlookMail.To = outlookMail.To & ";" & df.Value
Case "cc"
' add in the cc address or addresses as they are presented in the data, multiple address should be separated by a semicolon
outlookMail.CC = outlookMail.CC & ";" & df.Value
Case "bcc"
' add in the bcc address or addresses as they are presented in the data, multiple address should be separated by a semicolon
outlookMail.BCC = outlookMail.BCC & ";" & df.Value
Case "subject"
' add in the subject as it is presented in the data
outlookMail.Subject = df.Value
Case "importance"
' change the importance, accepted input values are "high", "normal", and "low" (not case sensitive)
' if field is not provided, or an incorrect input value is provided, then the default is used
' default is typically "Normal", but may have been changed in Outlook Options.
Select Case Trim(LCase(df.Value))
Case "high"
outlookMail.Importance = olImportanceHigh
Case "normal"
outlookMail.Importance = olImportanceNormal
Case "low"
outlookMail.Importance = olImportanceLow
End Select
Case "sensitivity"
' change the sensitivity, accepted input values are "confidential", "personal", "private", or "normal" (not case sensitive)
' if field is not provided, or an incorrect input value is provided, then the default is used
' default is typically "Normal", but may have been changed in Outlook Options.
Select Case Trim(LCase(df.Value))
Case "confidential"
outlookMail.Sensitivity = olConfidential
Case "personal"
outlookMail.Sensitivity = olPersonal
Case "private"
outlookMail.Sensitivity = olPrivate
Case "normal"
outlookMail.Sensitivity = olNormal
End Select
Case "readreceipt"
' request or do not request a read receipt
' if the field contains a boolean TRUE, or any form of "true"/"yes"/"y" (case insensitive) then request a read receipt
' if the field contains a boolean FALSE, or any form of "false"/"no"/"n" (case insensitive) then do not request a read receipt
' if field is not provided, or an incorrect input value is provided, then the default is used
' default is typically to not request a read receipt, but may have been changed in Outlook Options.
Select Case Trim(LCase(df.Value))
Case "true", "yes", "y"
outlookMail.ReadReceiptRequested = True
Case "false", "no", "n"
outlookMail.ReadReceiptRequested = False
End Select
Case "deliveryreceipt"
' request or do not request a delivery report
' if the field contains a boolean TRUE, or any form of "true"/"yes"/"y" (case insensitive) then request a delivery report
' if the field contains a boolean FALSE, or any form of "false"/"no"/"n" (case insensitive) then do not request a delivery report
' if field is not provided, or an incorrect input value is provided, then the default is used
' default is typically to not request a delivery report, but may have been changed in Outlook Options.
Select Case Trim(LCase(df.Value))
Case "true", "yes", "y"
outlookMail.OriginatorDeliveryReportRequested = True
Case "false", "no", "n"
outlookMail.OriginatorDeliveryReportRequested = False
End Select
Case "deliverytime"
' add in a delivery time (delay delivery)
' checks for the field containin a value or something which looks like a date and/or time
' if a datetime is provided, and that datetime is in the future then the delay is added to that datetime
' if a date is provided, and that date is in the future then the delay is added to midnight at the start of the provided date
' if a time is provided then the next instance of that time will be used to define the delay (so email could be sent "tomorrow" if time already passed)
' if no data, invalid data, or a date/datetime in the past is added then no delivery delay is added
If (IsNumeric(df.Value) Or IsDate(df.Value)) Then
' A date passed from an Excel table through mail merge will be formatted in US format ("m/d/yyyy"), but the function CDate
' uses the local format, e.g. ("d/m/yyyy"). CDate is nice enough to recognise (and not error) when fed a date with the day > 12,
' so both "15/1/2021" and "1/15/2021" will produce the correct date output (15 January 2021).
' The next couple of lines test for whether the date is the wrong way round and flips the month and day if needed
' A date is believed to be wrong if both month and day are 12 or lower, if CDate parses the date 1/2/2020 as 1 February 2020
' and finally if the raw input from Excel is a date string (and not a number, which would be valid)
inputDate = CDate(df.Value)
If Day(inputDate) <= 12 And Month(inputDate) <= 12 And Month(CDate("1/2/2020")) = 2 And _
InStr(1, df.Value, Format(inputDate, "d/m/yyyy")) = 1 Then
inputDate = DateSerial(Year(inputDate), Day(inputDate), Month(inputDate)) + TimeSerial(Hour(inputDate), Minute(inputDate), Second(inputDate))
End If
If inputDate < Now() - Date Then ' time only, time is in the past so set time for "tomorrow"
outlookMail.DeferredDeliveryTime = Date + 1 + inputDate
ElseIf inputDate < 1 Then ' time only, time is in the future so set time for "today"
outlookMail.DeferredDeliveryTime = Date + inputDate
ElseIf inputDate > Now() Then ' date or datetime in the future
outlookMail.DeferredDeliveryTime = inputDate
End If
Debug.Print df.Value, outlookMail.DeferredDeliveryTime
End If
Case "account"
' select the account from which the email is to be sent
' the account is identified by its full email address
' to identify the account, the code cycles through all the accounts available and selects a match
' if no data, or a non-matching email address is provided, then the default account is used
' note! not the same as send as - see below
For Each outlookAccount In outlookApp.Session.Accounts
If outlookAccount.SmtpAddress = df.Value Then
outlookMail.SendUsingAccount = outlookAccount
Exit For
End If
Next
Case "sendas"
' add in an address to send as or send on behalf of
' only added if a valid email address
' if the account does not have permissions, the email will be created but will be rejected by the Exchange server if sent
If InStr(1, df.Value, "#", vbTextCompare) > 0 Then outlookMail.SentOnBehalfOfName = df.Value
Case "replyto"
' add in an address to reply to
' only added if a valid email address
If InStr(1, df.Value, "#", vbTextCompare) > 0 Then outlookMail.ReplyRecipients.Add (df.Value)
Case "attachment"
' add the attachment
outlookMail.Attachments.Add df.Value
End Select ' end test for the field names
End If ' end check for the data value being blank
Next df ' move on to the next record
' check the send flag and send or save
If sendFlag Then
outlookMail.Send
Else
outlookMail.Close (olSave)
End If
Set outlookMail = Nothing
Else
recordCount = recordCount + 1 ' keep a tally of skipped records using recordCount
End If ' end the test for whether a valid address is presented in the data
' test if we have just created a document for the last record, if so we set lastRecordNum to zero to indicate that the loop should end, otherwise go to the next active record
If mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord >= lastRecordNum Then
lastRecordNum = 0
Else
mm.DataSource.ActiveRecord = wdNextRecord
End If
Loop
End Sub
I would need to send from the shared mailbox but I can't use outlookMail.SendUsingAccount = outlookAccount because the mail is not set as a second account but is linked to my personal one.
I can't use outlookMail.SentOnBehalfOfName either because I have permissions to send as and not on behalf.
Isn't there another method?
Thank you in advance

Answer 1

There is no other way using the Outlook object model.