MS Outlook macro to strikeout selected text - vba

Question

The task is to apply strikeout to current font in selected text area.
The difficulty is that Outlook doesn't support recording macros on the fly - it wants code to be written by hand.
For example, the following simple code:
Selection.Font.Strikethrough = True
works for Word, but gives an error for Outlook:
Run-time error '424':
Object required

Answer 1

This assumes that you also have Word installed on your box. If so, you can access most of the Word OM from the Outlook VBE without referencing Word by using the ActiveInspector.WordEditor object.
Sub StrikeThroughinMailItem()
Dim objOL As Application
Dim objDoc As Object
Dim objSel As Object
Set objOL = Application
Set objDoc = objOL.ActiveInspector.WordEditor
Set objSel = objDoc.Windows(1).Selection
objSel.Font.Strikethrough = True
End Sub

Answer 2

Here are a few notes on messing around with the open message, there are no checks, it just assumes that you have an open mail item. If you would like to say a little more about what you want to do, and in what version, I may be able to help a little more.
Dim ActiveMessage As MailItem
Dim strHTML As String
Set ActiveMessage = ActiveInspector.CurrentItem
Debug.Print ActiveMessage.Body
Debug.Print ActiveMessage.HTMLBody
strHTML = Replace(ActiveMessage.Body, "This sentence is bold", _
"<STRONG>This sentence is bold</STRONG>")
ActiveMessage.HTMLBody = strHTML
Debug.Print ActiveMessage.HTMLBody

Answer 3

You need to access the Inspector's HTMLEditor or WordEditor. Check the help file for sample code. If you are using WordEditor then you can record macro in Word and incorporate the resultant code into the Outlook macro by using the WordEditor.
Public Sub DoIt()
'must set word as mail editor
'must set reference to word object library
Dim oInspector As Outlook.Inspector
Dim oDoc As Word.Document
Dim oItem As Outlook.MailItem
Set oItem = Outlook.Application.CreateItem(olMailItem)
oItem.BodyFormat = olFormatRichText 'must set, unless default is rich text
Set oInspector = oItem.GetInspector
oInspector.Display 'must display in order for selection to work
Set oDoc = oInspector.WordEditor
'better to use word document instead of selection
'this sample uses selection because word's macro recording using the selection object
Dim oSelection As Word.Selection
Set oSelection = oDoc.Application.Selection
oSelection.TypeText Text:="The task is to apply strikethroughout."
oSelection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=4
oSelection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=7, Extend:=wdExtend
oSelection.Font.Strikethrough = True
End Sub

Answer 4

Jumping off from Todd Main's excellent example above.
I slightly modified the code to work in the inline reply pane as we couldn't find a simple way to add strikethrough to the QAT or ribbon.
I also added an if block to toggle the strikethrough if it was already set.
Sub StrikeThroughinInlineReply()
Dim objOL As Application
Dim objDoc As Object
Dim objSel As Object
Set objOL = Application
Set objDoc = objOL.ActiveExplorer.ActiveInlineResponseWordEditor
Set objSel = objDoc.Windows(1).Selection
If objSel.Font.Strikethrough = False Then
objSel.Font.Strikethrough = True
Else
objSel.Font.Strikethrough = False
End If
End Sub