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Winderson's avatar
Winderson
Copper Contributor
Apr 25, 2025

Using late binding to run AdvancedSearch in Outlook in .NET8?

I'm trying to use the AdvancedSearch feature from Outlook in my .NET 8 application, but I haven't been able to make it work. I'm currently using Restrict when I need to filter by a specific sender or by date. However, I need more advanced filtering options — for example, checking if the subject contains a specific word.

I could use a loop to do this after retrieving the results with Restrict, but it's very slow. It seems like AdvancedSearch would be a better option, but I'm getting an error when I try to run the search.

Below is an example of my code, although I've tried many variations. If anyone can share a working example, that would be really helpful. Thanks in advance!

string searchTag = "BuscaOutlook";
string searchScope = "'\\Caixa de Entrada'";
filter = "@SQL=\"urn:schemas:httpmail:subject\" LIKE '%orcamento%' AND \"urn:schemas:httpmail:datereceived\" >= '2024-04-01 00:00:00'";
try
{
    dynamic searchb = outlookApp.AdvancedSearch(searchScope, filter, true, searchTag);
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    MessageBox.Show("Erro no AdvancedSearch:\n" + ex.Message);
    return;
}

 

.net

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  • bhadreshpatel's avatar
    bhadreshpatel
    Copper Contributor
    May 01, 2025

    I was facing a similar issue with AdvancedSearch in Outlook from a .NET app, and after a lot of trial and error, I finally got it working. The main thing I was doing wrong was using the wrong filter format - I was trying SQL-like syntax with LIKE, but it turns out you need to use DASL syntax.

     

    Here’s a basic example that worked for me:

     

    string searchTag = "BuscaOutlook";
string searchScope = "'Inbox'"; // Make sure the folder name matches exactly (case/language-sensitive)



string filter = 
    "urn:schemas:httpmail:subject LIKE '%orcamento%' AND " +
    "urn:schemas:httpmail:datereceived >= '2024-04-01T00:00:00Z'";



try
{
    var searchResult = outlookApp.AdvancedSearch(searchScope, filter, true, searchTag);



    // Handle results in the AdvancedSearchComplete event
    outlookApp.AdvancedSearchComplete += (Search s) =>
    {
        var results = s.Results;
        foreach (dynamic item in results)
        {
            // Process your mail item here
        }
    };
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
    MessageBox.Show("Erro no AdvancedSearch:\n" + ex.Message);
}

     

    A couple of tips:

    Make sure Outlook is running.
    Use the exact folder name (in my case, I had to switch from '\\Caixa de Entrada' to just 'Inbox').
    The filter must follow DASL format, not SQL.

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