How to Create Visual Studio 2013 Extension?

How to create an outlook extension using Visual Studio 2013?

• I need to create an outlook extension which should have a form with two buttons, and it should appear on the right side of the application, like how the todoist app does(red circled in the screenshot). I tried creating using the "Outlook 2013 Add in" project type, I was able to create an add-in with some basic functionality, but did not know how do add a UI to it. On little more googling, I found https://www.add-in-express.com/outlook-extension, this looked like what I needed but didnt seem to be officially from microsoft/visual studio and appeared to be with some kind of fee too. I am trying to make my first outlook extension. Couldnt get any good results when I tried googling for the same, can anyone guide me in this ?

• Answer:

  VSTO (nor Outlook) doesn't provide such layout for custom forms. However, you are free to use Windows API functions to subclass the Outlook window and inject your own forms. They call them as http://blogs.msdn.com/b/stephen_griffin/archive/2010/06/01/adjacent-windows-in-outlook.aspx. See the https://code.msdn.microsoft.com/windowsdesktop/Creating-Adjacent-Windows-00090e4a sample code. Add-in Express uses the same technology for subclassing Outlook windows. As a result you get a convenient way to place .net controls on a Windows form. For example, I have just tested a sample add-in with an advanced Outlook form placed to the RightReadingPane layout. And here is what I get: