Skip to main content

Outlook Technical

OpenTalk Settings

The Addin uses various settings to change base url, auth url etc. in the Windows Registry (location depends on Installation Mode, see Windows Registry.)

Defaults for those settings are based on the OpenTalk online service. For on-prem installations the settings could be changed to point to the local installation.

All entries are of type REGSZ

ParameterDescriptionDefault
baseurlEndpoint of the OpenTalk Controller API endpointmeet.opentalk.eu
ControllerUrlOverwrite default controller url, this should only be used in special setups.controller. baseurl
tlsversionTLS version to use. Default is 1.2, you can change this to "1.3" if the Web server hosting the OpenTalk front-end and controller supports this (recommended). TLS versions < 1.2 are not supported.empty = 1.2
AuthDomainOIDC endpoint for authenticationaccounts.baseurl accounts.meet.opentalk.eu
clientidclient_id for selecting the appropriate Keycloak client profileoutlook_dev
realmSpecifies the Keycloak Realm to use for authenticationopentalk
urlDataProtectionURL for the data protection informationhttps://opentalk.eu/de/dataprotection
urlTermsOfUseURL to the terms-of-usehttps://opentalk.eu/de/termsofuse
bodyTemplateThis can be used to setup a custom body template.
  • a filename, e.g. C:\myfiles\de_body_template.txt
  • or a path containing the templates files named language code_body_template.txt.
Please make sure that the settings end with "\", e.g. C:\myfiles\ (not C:\myfiles)
%CommonAppData%\

Custom Installation

Custom Installer Package

The are 2 options to customize the installation to your needs

Automatically import settings for the OpenTalk Outlook AddinIf there is the file settings.reg in the same folder where you start the installation by running setup.exe the installer imports this into the registry. The format of the .reg file is standard for register imports. Make sure that it includes the correct base key (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE vs. HKEY_CURRENT_USER) to match the installation mode (current user vs. all users).
Automatically import custom templatesIf there are the files de_body_template.txt and en_body_template.txt in the same folder where you start the installation by running setup.exe the installer copes those to the template folder. The Addin uses those custom templates to create the body field rather then the build-in template (for details see → Custom Body Template)

A custom installer could for example include the following files

  • setup.exe - used to start the MSI installer, esp. with Run as administrator
  • OutlookForOutlook.msi - base MSI package
  • settings.reg - those will be imported to the registry to setup on-prem URLs etc.
  • de_body_template.txt and en_body_template.txt - your customized versions of the body templates (will be copied by the installer to the ProgramData directory)

Those files could be packaged in a zip file and distributed to the clients - pragmatic approach, but doesn't scale for many users.

Software Deployment

The Addin could also deployed in an automated way using standard software deployment tools. In this case the MSI includes are binaries, but needs to be parameterized to setup the application. This allows overriding the defaults for the OpenTalk as a Service platform by custom settings, e.g. for an on-prem deployment.

The MSI can be launched with the following command line parameters, see "OpenTalk Settings" for details.

ParameterDescription
BaseURLController endpoint, see settings.baseUrl
ControllerUrlController endpoint, see settings.controllerUrl
AuthDomainAuthentication endpoint, see See settings.AuthDomain
ClientIdclient_id for authentication, see settings.clientid
RealmRealm for authentication, see settings.realm
TlsTLS version for connection setup, see settings.tlsVersion
DpUrlData Protection Url, see settings.urlDataProtection
TouUrlTerms of Use URL, see settings.urlTermsOfUse
BodyTemplatesBody template (file) or templates (folder) to install, see settings.bodyTemplate

Examples:

  • msiexec /i OpenTalkOutlookAddin.msi /qb BaseURL=https://example.com/ AuthDomain=accounts.example.com Realm=demo"

  • msiexec /i OpenTalkOutlookAddin.msi /qb BaseURL=https://example.com/ AuthDomain=accounts.example.com Realm=demo ClientId=myoutlook DpUrl=https://example.com/mydpagreement Tls=1.3"

Custom Body Template

The template used to fill the body field of the calendar entry can be customized. For backward compatibility reasons to older Outlook versions the content is plain text, you can't use HTML formatting.

The template is language specific, files are named language code_body_template.txt (e.g. en_body_template.txt). The file(s) need to be copied AFTER the installation to %ProgramData%\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook (overwriting the those copied by the installer, needs administrator privileges). If you choose a different location you need to set the bodyTemplate setting (see → OpenTalk Settings).

A set of parameters can be filled in (you don't need to use all). The final body text will be build from the template dynamically filled with the parameters. The created body will be included in the e-mail invitation send to other participants.

Parameter IdDescription
0Base url (e.g. https://meet.opentalk.eu)
1Meeting title
2Meeting creator - first name
3Meeting creator - last name
4Meeting description (n/a at the moment)
5Meeting time
6Meeting password
7Meeting URL - link for registered users
8Meeting URL - link for guest users
9Callin: Phone number
10Callin: Meeting Id
11Callin: Passcode
12URL to data protection information
13URL to terms of use
14Dashboard URL
15Data protection URL
16Terms of Use
17Additional Information

Example:

{1} {2} invites you to an OpenTalk-Meeting.

Meeting Information:
Title: {0}
Time: {5}
Password: {6}

Join meeting with your Browser:
Registered users can join with this link: {7}
Guests should only join with this link: {8}

Attend with phone:
You can dial into the meeting by phone:
Dial the phone number and enter conference code and pin.
You could use the quick dial with a mobile phone.

Phone number: {9}
Conference Code: {10}
Conference PIN: {11}
Quick dial: {12},,{13},,{14}

Note for data protection: The protection of your data is important for us.
Personal data can also be exchanged when using the video conference solution.
Information on data protection : {15}
Terms of Use: {16}

Find more information under {17}

Files & Folders

The Addin installs various files, which get copied to different folders on the local hard disk. Depending on installation mode (current user vs. all users) those files will be copied to different directories.

TypeDirectory
Program files (binaries)%ProgramFiles(x86)%\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook (e.g. C:\Programme (x86)\OpenTalkOpenTalk for Outlook
Application Data (Log files, token cache)%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook (e.g. C:\Users\Alice\AppData\Local\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook)
Template files (e.g. body templates)%ProgramData%\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook (e.g. C:\ProgramData\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook)
Installer Log (OpenTalkInstaller.log)%ProgramFiles(x86)%\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook
Addin logging (OpenTalkAddin.log*)%LOCALAPPDATA%\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook\logs (e.g. C:\Users\Bob\AppData\Local\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook\logs*.log)

Windows Registry

Various registry keys are involved when installing the Outlook Addin.

Installation Type: Current User

Mainly 2 registry keys apply:

  • HKEY_CURRENt_USER\SOFWATE\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook OpenTalk specific settings like urls, client_id, realm etc. (see → OpenTalk Settings).
  • HKEY_CURRENt_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\Addins\OpenTalk for Outlook This contains the Addin registration information used by Microsoft Outlook to install and load the Addin

Installation Type: All Users

OpenTalk for Outlook settings:

  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFWATE\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook OpenTalk specific settings like urls, client_id, realm etc. (see → OpenTalk Settings) For an AllUsers Install the registry keys depend on installation types of 32/64 Bit Windows and 32/64 Bit Outlook Addins and if Office ClickOnce deployment method was used or not.

  • Office32 on Win32: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFWATE\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook or

  • Office32 on Win64: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFWATE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\AddIns

  • Office64 on Win64: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFWATE\OpenTalk\OpenTalk for Outlook or

  • ClickOnce on Win64: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\ClickToRun\REGISTRY\MACHINE\Software\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office\Outlook\AddIns