Microsoft Outlook interface

The Microsoft Outlook plugin enables you to carry out a series of Open ERP operations directly from the Outlook email client:

• create a contact or partner from an email,
• archive an email and its attachments in Open ERP,
• send any file attached to an Open ERP document (such as proposals, projects, and tasks).

Tip

Outlook versions

The Microsoft Outlook plugin works with Microsoft Outlook 2003 and 2007 but not with Outlook Express

Installing the Outlook plugin

To start, you must extensions. It’s the same module as used by the Thunderbird extension. Don’t install it again if it’s already there (which it might be because you can use both Outlook and Thunderbird simultaneously to get the same Open ERP functionality – so some of your staff may use one and other may use the other).

Once you’ve installed the module all you need is to run the Windows auto-installer. This module is developed by Axelor (http://axelor.com/ , located in Paris).

Installation is then automatic.

Using the Outlook plugin

Using the Microsoft Outlook plugin is quite similar to using the Thunderbird extension. In Outlook find the menu Tools ‣ Open ERP Options.

Configuration menu for the interface between Outlook and Open ERP

In the window that you use for configuring the Outlook plugin you can enter parameters for accessing the Open ERP server, with various options for:

• how to handle attachments,
• which color to give emails transferred to Open ERP.

Once the server data entry is completed, click Test the Connection to check that your parameters make it function correctly.

Configuring access to Open ERP from Word

When Outlook is configured, archiving an email and its attached files in Open ERP can be done in several ways:

• directly from the toolbar,
• from the context menu by right-clicking on an email,
• from the page while looking at the email.

Saving an Outlook email in Open ERP

You can select an existing contact or create a new contact on the fly in the Open ERP database. Then you can send the email and its attachments and also save it in Open ERP.

It’s possible to send attachments to all types of Open ERP objects. For example this might be useful for:

• sending documents about a customer project into the corresponding project in Open ERP,
• attaching the documents about an order (such as proof of payment and order receipts),
• attaching documents to an employee file (such as their CV or annual appraisal).

Once the email is sent into Open ERP it’s marked with another color in Outlook to help remind you not to archive it again.

Note

Testing the Outlook adapter

If you install the Outlook adapter as described, explore its functionality with the database as described in this section.