- Try GetActiveObject first, then Activator.CreateInstance as fallback
- Use Type.GetTypeFromProgID for version-independent COM activation
- Clear error message explaining possible causes including New Outlook
- NuGet Interop v15 is fine - it's the assembly version, works with
all Outlook versions (2013-2024) via COM interface compatibility
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
- Scan all stores recursively instead of only the default folder
- Properly release COM objects to avoid leaks
- Better error handling with debug output per store/folder
- Show error message if Outlook is not reachable
- Fallback to default contacts folder if recursive scan finds nothing
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
- Replace Outlook folder ComboBox with TextBox + Browse button
that opens a TreeView-based folder browser dialog
- Add per-user settings stored in %AppData% (not HKLM)
with option to start minimized (System Tray only)
- Add Settings button to main window
- Settings are per-user, independent of profiles
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
- Target net8.0-windows instead of net4.8
- EnableWindowsTargeting for Linux build
- Replace Marshal.GetActiveObject with P/Invoke (not in .NET 8)
- Use NuGet package for Outlook Interop instead of local DLL ref
- Update Inno Setup script for .NET 8 runtime check
- Builds successfully on Linux, runs on Windows
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Replace the Office Web Add-in with a native Windows application.
The web add-in required Exchange/M365 for registration which is
not available in all customer environments (standalone Office,
POP/IMAP only).
The new app:
- Uses COM Interop to access Outlook contacts directly
- Communicates with Starface REST API (accepts self-signed certs)
- Runs as System Tray app with optional auto-sync
- Profile-based config stored in %AppData%
- No webserver, no certificates, no Exchange, no M365 needed
- Inno Setup installer for clean MSI-style deployment
- Works with any Outlook version (Classic and New)
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
duffyduck
Stefan Hacker