How can we save an email as PDF in Outlook 2010?

[Affy]

I have seen this introduction in a number of threads. And even I am going to borrow it for now. I used a satisfied and a very happy of Microsoft Office 2007 and I used to love working on it since I had become totally accustomed to it and could operate it with closed eyes if required. But recently, my office people decided to upgrade its license to Microsoft Office 2010. I had the basic fresh user troubles but I got accustomed to this also and was starting to love it when with shock, at the time of log out I noticed that it did not have the save-email-to-PDF feature which was very useful for me. I cannot do without this feature; it used to be one of the most basic log tasks that I used to follow before logging out from my workstation. Since last two days, I have been copying the entire mail to word, then saving it to PDF which is not easy as it sounds when you have to do the same with almost 75 mails per day, it takes hours and have started affecting either my target or my logout time.

I was planning to inform this to my purchasing section but I wanted to confirm the case first because, I did not want to end up getting into an embarrassed situation when they spot the same feature in the version. So, I wanted to ask if there is an option, if yes, HOW?

[Hadriel]

Yes, you are right! This feature is surprisingly missing from the Outlook 2010 in spite of the fact that it used to be an awesome feature. However, I have posted a feedback on this over their official site and they have assured that they will fix it in their next 3 updates release. However, that will take more than months. And just like you, this feature played a very important role in my daily task and I was in grave need to find a solution to this, which led me to do some detailed research on the topic and I happened to find a fix to this. I found a Save as PDF macro which does the task for me. for this, you just need to Google ‘Save as PDF macro’ which will fetch you the desired thing in maybe a couple of page switches. simply embed it into your configured outlook system and create a button of the same and it's then easily available for you to use which is very similar to the feature that was available with Outlook 2007

[Affy]

Ok! I am not sure if this is the one you suggested. But I have found a downloadable zip file has a read me and a bas file named ‘Save as PDF’. The author of which is some Robert. Is this the one you were talking about? If yes, I need to know, how to embed it into my system. And yeah, this is a bit embarrassing and I am hoping that you are not one of my colleagues, I wanted to know the working of this macro. Just to say that I understood it on my own. Just an attempt to build a brilliant impression at my work place. :p. also, don’t forget the steps of embedding it.

[Hadriel]

Oh yes! It is that very download. So if any of my colleagues boosts or flaunts about his knowledge of saving to pdf in Outlook 2010, I should not be laughing right? Anyways, it is a bit complicated. What happens is that this macro exploits the capabilities that Word possesses to save a document as a PDF file. It actually exports the mail and save it into something called the MHT format after which it is successful opened in word in the background and the macro is written in a way where the Word has to perform background operations in order to save the file into PDF format. And as far as the embedding process is concerned, it is as follows:

1. This you have already done but for other users referring, please download the file that I recommended in my above post. It is easily available online
2. On your pc, once you are done downloading, just open the VBA editor to go ahead. The keyboard shortcut to this is Alt+F11
3. Extract the zip file to an easily accessible place on your system and import the SaveAsPDF.bas file after following the path: File followed by import
4. In case, you have found the text version of the macro and you have copy pasted it onto a notepad on your PC, just paste it into a new module
5. Go to the Tools menu and click on References, after which you need to add ‘Microsoft Word <version> Object Library’, where version = 14.0
6. In order to have an easy access to the button and use it just like you used to do it with outlook 2007, simply add a button and then sign the code.

[Affy]

No! Hopefully you won’t have to laugh! I am glad to know that I have used the right code or macro as it is called. I have embedded it successfully. It is working fine, except for the fact that it takes more time than that it used to take in outlook 2007. Ofcourse, it has so many activities to do. And also, I have been using It without adding the button as you asked me to. The reason being that I don’t know how to go about it. I am embarrassed again to give you the pain of explaining that too. If you could please list down the steps to do this. That won’t be too much of trouble right?

[Hadriel]

I would be very glad to take that so termed ‘pain’. Anyways, it not a very tedious task. I am enot explaining you the normal method, I am explaining you how to put it on the toolbar as that would make things more convenient to you. It is very simple just follow the below given steps:

1. From the normal mode, change the toolbar into the edit mode by simply following the path of: View then Toolbars followed by Customize…
2. Check and confirm that the Commands tab is selected and can be edited as you want it to, if not make necessary changed to include it
3. On the right panel, you will find something called ‘Macros’. Select it, the command list on the right will display all the macros you have
4. Select that macro of which you wish to create the button, hold it, drag it and then drop it on any location on the toolbar where you would want it
5. This will give you a very default look, in case you want to customize it with a modified name and a brand new icon for that,

o Right click the icon on the toolbar You can edit the name and make it more meaningful by giving the button the name that will best suit
o If you want to give it a shortcut, maybe Alt+key shortcut, simply include the usage of an ampersand (&) ahead of the letter in the name
o For example, if you want to put the name as ‘My Button’ and the shortcut should be ‘Alt+Y’ then right it as ‘M&y Button’
o It is also possible to change the button image by the use of Change Button Image Selector by clicking on the Edit Button Image dialog box
o The use of Free Hand Editor for this purpose is also recommended. In this, you can easily paste an image or any icon by simple use of Ctrl+V
o It is also possible to disable the text or icon which is called the image button if you do not like it and don’t want to see it.

[Affy]

I happened to read something about signing code in your solution. Is it something important? How to go about it? I have never heard about it and I wish to know more about it. I would appreciate an enlightenment on that topic too. has it something to do with the security aspect of the macro?

[Hadriel]

Ok! It’s shocking that you are not aware of that. Yes that is very important and if you have been using macro without signing your code, dude please get your outlook rectified as soon as possible. What happens is that if you are in any plans to create a macro and run it on Outlook with the security settings that come as the default security settings, you will not in any case be able to run it. You will either have to play with the default security settings or sign your own code with the assistance of a digital certificate. That is the reason I asked you rectify the security settings in your outlook because if you are already able to use it that means the your security setting has been tampered with. However, having a digital certificate is also not a very small and a common thing. However, there is an alternative of using SelfCert.exe with this, your security settings remain intact and you need not be waiting to be eligible for the digital signature either.