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I am trying to run a python script that is triggered by a rule in outlook. My current process is to write a VBA script that is triggered by the rule - the script simply just calls the shell method as so:

Shell (".../Anaconda3/python.exe" & ".../test_email.py")

However, when I call the script in VBA I receive the error message "Compile Error: Invalid outside procedure" and the reference to my python exe path is highlighted. Does anyone know how I can resolve this issue? I've added what I have in the VBA portion with the actual error

enter image description here

When I put the code in a sub, I am not able to call the actual code from the rules manager. enter image description here

Eugene Astafiev
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finman69
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3 Answers3

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You must define a sub which has the following signature:

Public Sub Test(mail as MailItem)
   Shell (".../Anaconda3/python.exe" & ".../test_email.py")
End Sub

Then Outlook will be able to recognize the method to run for a rule.

See Outlook's Rules and Alerts: Run a Script for more information.

Eugene Astafiev
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I think you need to put the code inside a Sub, and then call the sub - not just launch it from the editor.

Sub PyExecSub()
    Shell (".../Anaconda3/python.exe" & ".../test_email.py")
End Sub
Allan Elder
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  • The problem with putting it in a sub then becomes getting the Outlook Rule manager to recognize the script - I can't seem to find a way to call this sub or the script the sub is written in so that the sub can be triggered by the rule. This is a good idea, though. – finman69 Oct 06 '22 at 19:26
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The two answers above are great. However, I ran into the issue of not being able to track potential errors in my script, so I ultimately ended up creating a .bat file that referenced the python executable and script and created an error logger in the bat.

Public Sub PyExecSub(mail As MailItem)
    Shell "...\Desktop\test_email.bat"
End Sub
finman69
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