How to automate Public folder calender to show in Favorite Folder of mail

Question

How to automate the process to show my public folder calender in Mail Favorite folder?

I wanted to do it either by login script or by group policy.

I am using Microsoft Exchange server 2007 with Windows Server 2008 R2 and Domain controller running Windows Server 2003 R2.

All workstation system have either Outlook 2010 or Outlook 2007.

While searching on this I found the script below, but by this script (already modified the path) I am just able to make public folder calender to show in public folder favorite but not in mail favorite folder.

Const olPublicFoldersAllPublicFolders = 18
Dim olkApp, olkSes, olkFolder
Set olkApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")
Set olkSes = olkApp.GetNameSpace("MAPI")
'Change the profile name on the next line'
olkSes.Logon "Outlook"
'Change the folder name on the next line.  Repeat the next two lines for each folder         
 you want to add.'
Set olkFolder =     
olkSes.GetDefaultFolder(olPublicFoldersAllPublicFolders).Folders("Public   
calender").Folders("p cal")
olkFolder.AddToPFFavorites
'Change the folder name on the next line.  Repeat the next two lines for each folder     
you want to add.'
Set olkFolder = OpenOutlookFolder("Public Folders\Favorites\P cal")
AddFavoriteFolder olkFolder
olkSes.Logoff
Set olkApp = Nothing
Set olkSes = Nothing
Set olkFolder = Nothing
WScript.Quit

Sub AddFavoriteFolder(olkFolder)
' Purpose: Add a folder to Favorite Folders.'
' Written: 5/2/2009'
' Author:  BlueDevilFan'
' Outlook: 2007'
Const olModuleMail = 0
Const olFavoriteFoldersGroup = 4
    Dim olkPane, olkModule, olkGroup
Set olkPane = olkApp.ActiveExplorer.NavigationPane
Set olkModule = olkPane.Modules.GetNavigationModule(olModuleMail)
Set olkGroup =     
olkModule.NavigationGroups.GetDefaultNavigationGroup(olFavoriteFoldersGroup)
olkGroup.NavigationFolders.Add olkFolder
Set olkPane = Nothing
Set olkModule = Nothing
Set olkGroup = Nothing
End Sub

Function OpenOutlookFolder(strFolderPath)
' Purpose: Opens an Outlook folder from a folder path.'
' Written: 4/24/2009'
' Author:  BlueDevilFan'
' Outlook: All versions'
Dim arrFolders, varFolder, bolBeyondRoot
On Error Resume Next
If strFolderPath = "" Then
    Set OpenOutlookFolder = Nothing
Else
    Do While Left(strFolderPath, 1) = "\"
        strFolderPath = Right(strFolderPath, Len(strFolderPath) - 1)
    Loop
    arrFolders = Split(strFolderPath, "\")
    For Each varFolder In arrFolders
        Select Case bolBeyondRoot
            Case False
                Set OpenOutlookFolder = olkSes.Folders(varFolder)
                bolBeyondRoot = True
            Case True
                Set OpenOutlookFolder = OpenOutlookFolder.Folders(varFolder)
        End Select
        If Err.Number <> 0 Then
            Set OpenOutlookFolder = Nothing
            Exit For
        End If
    Next
End If
On Error GoTo 0
End Function

Answer 1

You can't do this. You can only add mail folders or search folders to the Mail Favorites view. Quoting Outlook's help, Favorites contain "shortcuts to folders such as your Inbox, Sent Items, and Search Folders. You can add, remove, and arrange folders [...] access your mail folders more easily" (my emphasis).

From MSFT's point of view, this is logically consistent.

• Adding a public object to your public folder favorites is the type of activity that a user is expected to do infrequently. So it's not appropriate to handle that in a login script. It's like adding resources to your personal library of information, eg a folder with project status or manuals.
• Adding a mail folder to your Mail Favorites is a quick and dirty trick for frequently used items. This is more like adding a bookmark.

You could argue that if you have to set up a large number of users that all need access to a public folder, that it makes sense to handle that in a login script, and that is fine, but again, it would be adding it to the public folder favotires, not the mail one....and you've have to have code to not create the favorite if it already existed.