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
| Parameter | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| baseurl | Endpoint of the OpenTalk Controller API endpoint | meet.opentalk.eu |
| ControllerUrl | Overwrite default controller url, this should only be used in special setups. | controller. baseurl |
| tlsversion | TLS 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 |
| AuthDomain | OIDC endpoint for authentication | accounts.baseurl accounts.meet.opentalk.eu |
| clientid | client_id for selecting the appropriate Keycloak client profile | outlook_dev |
| realm | Specifies the Keycloak Realm to use for authentication | opentalk |
| urlDataProtection | URL for the data protection information | https://opentalk.eu/de/dataprotection |
| urlTermsOfUse | URL to the terms-of-use | https://opentalk.eu/de/termsofuse |
| bodyTemplate | This can be used to setup a custom body template.
| %CommonAppData%\ |
Custom Installation
Custom Installer Package
The are 2 options to customize the installation to your needs
| Automatically import settings for the OpenTalk Outlook Addin | If 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 templates | If 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.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| BaseURL | Controller endpoint, see settings.baseUrl |
| ControllerUrl | Controller endpoint, see settings.controllerUrl |
| AuthDomain | Authentication endpoint, see See settings.AuthDomain |
| ClientId | client_id for authentication, see settings.clientid |
| Realm | Realm for authentication, see settings.realm |
| Tls | TLS version for connection setup, see settings.tlsVersion |
| DpUrl | Data Protection Url, see settings.urlDataProtection |
| TouUrl | Terms of Use URL, see settings.urlTermsOfUse |
| BodyTemplates | Body 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 Id | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 | Base url (e.g. https://meet.opentalk.eu) |
| 1 | Meeting title |
| 2 | Meeting creator - first name |
| 3 | Meeting creator - last name |
| 4 | Meeting description (n/a at the moment) |
| 5 | Meeting time |
| 6 | Meeting password |
| 7 | Meeting URL - link for registered users |
| 8 | Meeting URL - link for guest users |
| 9 | Callin: Phone number |
| 10 | Callin: Meeting Id |
| 11 | Callin: Passcode |
| 12 | URL to data protection information |
| 13 | URL to terms of use |
| 14 | Dashboard URL |
| 15 | Data protection URL |
| 16 | Terms of Use |
| 17 | Additional 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.
| Type | Directory |
|---|---|
| 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