dinsdag 22 december 2009

Outlook plugin for FogBugz

FogBugz
At CNOC Informatiesystemen we use FogBugz for our bug tracking. FogBugz is set up in such a way that it fetches customer support questions from a special e-mail address. As soon as a mail is send to our support account, a case is created and assigned to a developer.

Problem
Creating cases from incoming messages only works for e-mail that is send directly to our support address. If a customer sends an e-mail directly to one of the developers, the developer has two options:
  1. Forward the e-mail to our support address
  2. Open FogBugz and create the case manually
The downside of this solution is that a manually created case is not linked to the sender (the correspondent is not set). When replying to the customer by e-mail the user has to look up the e-mail adress somewhere else.

Solution
I created a plugin for MS Outlook that adds a button to the Outlook toolbars. With this button a FogBugz case will be created directly (by using the FogBugz API), and the case is then linked to the sender of the message.

Screenshots
A new message arrives in my inbox. Oh user, why didn't you send it directly to our support address?


I can create a case right now by clicking the 'case from message' button, but let's open the message:

 

Ok, this is definitely something to create a case from. Let's press the 'Case from message' button that is nicely placed in my ribbon.


Ok, this seems ok. I can tidy up the message a little bit, no need for the 'kind regards' in our bug system. Notice the correspondent name and e-mail in the lower right corner? That's what it's all about.


Good. The case has been created with all the correct properties. I can now open it in FogBugz:

The plugin needs to know about the FogBugz API URL and a username / password. This is done in the Outlook settings screen:


For those who want to give it a try, here is the installer: FogBugz Outlook plugin. There is also a stand-alone version that just opens a form to add a new case: FBNewCase.
Instructions 
API Url: The URL of your FogBugz installation, must include http:// or https:// 
Username: Your FogBugz username 
Password: Your FogBugz password
Please let me know what you think about this!

Updates
2009/12/23: 
  • Updated the plugin to work over SSL and FogBugz on Demand accounts.
2009/12/24:
  • Improved performance (less calls to the server)
  • Automatic detection of project / area by correspondent e-mail
  • All projects / areas that have cases from the correspondent are marked in the selection lists so you canfind them more easy
  • Assigned to... set to project or area primary contact (just like web interface)
  • Added a setting to have default project set to the previous used project or detect the project by means of correspondent
  • Changed installation directory to FogBugzOutlookClient
New version! I put up a small website for this project (it is a FogBugz wiki actually). Please go there for any information and suggestions for new features
Geplaatst door op 16:27
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47 reacties:

  2. This is slick, well done!

    I don't suppose you could update the account settings dialog to take a FogBugz API token rather than a username / password? I'm presuming that you use the username/password to authenticate your interactions with the XML API -- tokens would be more secure.

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  3. I'll make a note to change (optional) supply a token instead of username / password.

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  4. Does this work in Outlook 2003? I can't seem to get the button to show, though the "FogBugz API" tab is added to the Tools > Options menu.

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  5. Yes it does (thanks - I didn't see that)! I hope you can get it working, but if not then perhaps I should upgrade :)

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  6. If the code itself works in OL2003 it shouldn't be too hard to add a menu button.

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  7. I tried to add the button to my toolbar manually, but I couldn't find it in the Customize menu. The right-click menu works great though!

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  8. Hmmm. Not showing up at all in Outlook 2007.

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  9. Disregard the last comment... I got it to work. YEAH! Thanks so much this is awesome~! Not sure why my comment posted so many times.

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  10. Issue: Install requires openSSL; should be stated as a requirement, or even just install the required dll's.

    Issue: Opening and not entering your url, username, and password at all, prevents you from closing the application/plugin.

    Issue: it doubles the spacing in the email text. Email lines that did not have a blank line between them now do. Lines that had one blank line, now have two, and so forth...

    I understand why you want the first line of the case to say "Case created with FogBugz Outlook Plugin by CNOC Informatiesystemen" but it really is kinda annoying. Option to register plugin and remove this nag message?

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  11. Is there a way to get it to work with Outlook 2010 x64 beta 1?

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  12. I've installed this on several machines and a few of them get an error when attempting to create a case from an email: "Could not load SSL library".

    Do they need to install something else?

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  13. Installing Open SSL worked, thanks!

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  14. I have got the plugin working on OL2003, but I could not get a button to it on my toolbar.

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  15. Birger, great plugin!!! Have tested a bit and will start using today. I've observed some quirky behavior when trying to create cases from some emails, but don't have the circumstances nailed down yet. Regardless, fantastic stuff! I'll probably end up using this every day.

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  16. Nice plugin, but (Outlook 2007):

    - does not authorize (we have LDAP (Microsoft ActiveDirectory) authorization) to create a new case nor the CheckSettings button in Options work (no feedback and Apply is grayed)
    - no case from message button, but available on rightclick

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  17. To be more specific when trying to enter a case:
    - The New FogBugz case windows pops up nicely
    - Apparently communicates with the FBZ server as menu dropdowns for projects, categories etc. are updated
    - Get the message when pushing OK: "The case has not been created!", which is correct:(
    - Windows 7 64 bits

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  18. - Linking to another case changes the subject to the linked cases subject.

    - removing the correspondent values (name and email) still puts < > as the FB correspondent

    - changing the area does not updated the "Assigned to" to the area default person.

    How is the update coming?

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  19. Hi Birger,

    I really like the plugin.

    It does seem to truncate the email if it contains an & symbol though.

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  20. To birger:
    I am getting an error when I am trying to put in the API settings. "Protocal field is empty". Do you know what I am doing wrong?

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  21. Hi Birger
    >>To birger:
    I am getting an error when I am trying to put in the API settings. "Protocal field is empty". Do you know what I am doing wrong?

    I'm having the same problem and yes I am using http:// prefix. Tried https:// too but get an SSL library not loaded error. I'm running Outlook 2007 with Exchange (not sure which version).

    Looking forward to using the plug-in.

    Thanks

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  22. Hey Birger:
    This plugin is great. I was wondering if I would be able to add some customized fields that we created. Thanks!

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  23. DOH! Can't view your site (broken link):

    http://services.cnoc.nl:7066/default.asp?W35

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  24. those are all great comments i like them alot but you guys hear about Planplus Online this software is the best on helping you do things that kind of get in your way you know but if your still wanting to know more then go to this website, and check out the great news..http://tinyurl.com/planplusv7

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  25. Hi Birger,

    I cannot get it to work on Outlook 2010 / Win7 x64.

    Could you please post a status update on your future plans for this plugin?

    I post this question here, because the forum does not seem too active..

    R, Max

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  26. I can not find a create topic button on the forum, so I will post here.

    When the body of an email contains a & character, the plugin strips everything following the & character.

    Otherwise great work! And thanks for the plugin!

    Best regards
    Emil

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  27. This post has been removed by the author.

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  28. We use office 2010, and have our fogbugz installation on a site with ssl. Some time when I click ok to send the mail to fogbugz it work, and sometime it don't work.

    I don't find the pattern of it. Does anybody have the same problem, and a solution?

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  29. "Create Case" -> Settings buttons, simply show message, to go see some settings tab, which I cannot find in Outlook 2010. How can I configure it ?

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  30. In Outlook 2010 you can find the settings in:
    File-> section Options-> section Add-Ins

    and then the button at the top (I have a Dutch Outlook so I don't know the title, probably something like add-in options)

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  31. Hi again!
    I tested the APITester, it works fine.
    I use the same login params but the add-in refuses to connect.
    How about .../api.asp, should it be included or not?
    I get the error "Protocol field is empty", why?

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  32. I am having trouble installing it on Outlook 2010 (64 bit) Just wondering if it should work on that version or not?

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  34. Yeah, 64 bit would be nice...is this a complicated thing to do? sounds so easy to me :o

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  35. The plugin is developed in Delphi XE, which at this moment does not support a 64 bit target. Sad, but true. According to Embarcadero a 64 bit version of their Delphi compiler should be available this year.

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  36. Makes sense...I took a quick stab at it and wrote a C# plugin that seems to work well with both win64 and office 64, should work with the 32 bit as well I suppose.

    For now I'm just evaluating FogBugz, so not putting too much work into it, but it's a crucial part of us starting to use FogBugz at all

    Keep up your good work :)

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  37. Hi,

    I really like the idea of this plugin but we don't use fogbugz - rather, we use bugzilla here. Is there any chance that you will provide the source code? I will do the bugzilla backend rewrite myself...

    G

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  38. I wrote as mentioned above a C# application that works in 64-bit too and now that we've decided we'll be using FogBugz at my company I'm gonna clean it up and release the code on code.google.com (FogOutlook), so if G/Anonymous know C# maybe we can do something together here :o

    Feel free to delete Birger if this is inappropriate heh :/

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  39. coool..i love this look. it work for windows 7?

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  40. i hv using FogBugz, and it is better than ms. outlook

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  41. Too bad it didn't support 64 bit system, hopefully there'll be a better one in the future

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  42. Yeah right, can't wait till it support windows 7 64bit

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  43. If you're using Outlook 2010, this support 64 bit:
    http://code.google.com/p/fogoutlook/

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  44. I think it will work well with my MS Outlook 2010. I am using a default email archiving software for that.

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  45. you're using Outlook 2010, this support 64 bit:
    http://code.google.com/p/fogoutlook/

    Thank you so much!! Oh how I've been waiting for this...

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  46. very easy to install it, and it is work, nice tutorial. nice article

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  47. woohoo...it is work for me. better than outlook, easier and more simple.

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