Adding Commands to Lync 2010 Menus

 

Topic Last Modified: 2011-08-18

You can add custom commands to Microsoft Lync 2010 menus and pass the SIP Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) of the current user and selected contacts to the application that the custom command starts.

The custom commands that you add can appear on one or more of the following menus:

• The Tools menu, on the menu bar in the Lync main window

• The shortcut menu for contacts in the Contacts list

• The Actions menu, on the menu bar, in the Conversation window

• The shortcut menu for people listed in the Conversation window participant list

• The options menu in a contact card

You can define custom commands for two types of applications—applications that do either of the following:

• Apply only to the current user and are started on the local computer.

• Involve additional users, such as an online collaboration program, and must be started on each user's computer.

The custom command can be invoked in the following ways:

• Select one or more users, and then choose the custom command.

• Start a two-party or multiparty conversation, and then choose the custom command.

To add a custom command

Use the registry settings in the following table to add a command to the Lync 2010 menus. These entries are placed in the registry at the following locations:

• For 64-bit operating systems:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Communicator\SessionManager\Apps

• For 32-bit operating systems:

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Communicator\SessionManager\Apps

Custom Command Registry Entries

Name	Type	Data
Name	REG_SZ	Name of the application as it appears on the menu.
ApplicationType	DWORD	0 = Executable (default) Note Requires ApplicationInstallPath. 1 = Protocol
ApplicationInstallPath	REG_SZ	Full path of the executable. Note Must be specified if ApplicationType is 0 (Executable).
Path	REG_SZ	Full path to be started along with any parameters, including the default parameters %user-id% and %contact-id%.
SessionType	DWORD	0 = Local session. The application is started on the local computer. 1 = Two-party session (default). Lync 2010 starts the application locally and then sends a desktop notification to the other user. The other user clicks the notification to start the application on their computer. 2 = Multiparty session. Lync 2010 starts the application locally and then sends desktop notifications to the other users. The other user clicks the notification to start the specified application on his or her computer.
ExtensibleMenu	REG_SZ	A list of the menus where this command will appear, separated by semi-colons. Possible values are: MainWindowActions MainWindowRightClick ConversationWindowActions ConversationWindowRightClick ContactCardMenu If ExtensibleMenu is not defined, the default values of MainWindowRightClick and ConversationWindowActions are used.

For example, the following Registry Editor (.REG) file shows the results of adding a Contoso Sales Contact Manager menu item to Actions menu in the Conversation window:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Communicator\SessionManager\Apps\{1F9F07C6-7E0B-462B-AAD7-98C6DBEA8F69}]
"Name"="Contoso Sales Contact Manager"
"HelpMessage"="The Contoso Sales Contact Manager is not installed. Contact the Help Desk for more information."
"ApplicationType"=dword:00000000
"ApplicationInstallPath"="C:\\cscm.exe"
"Path"="C:\\cscm.exe %user-id% %contact-id%"
"SessionType"=dword:00000001
"ExtensibleMenu"="ConversationWindowActions;MainWindowRightClick"

To access a custom command

To access a custom command after it is added, do one of the following, depending on the ExtensibleMenu values you define:

• MainWindowActions   In the Lync main window, press the Alt key to show the menu bar, click Tools, and then click your custom command.

• MainWindowRightClick   In the Lync main window, right-click a contact, and then click your custom command.

• ConversationWindowActions   In the Conversation window, press the Alt key to show the menu bar, click Actions, and then click your custom command.

• ConversationWindowRightClick   In the Conversation window, right-click a contact name, and then click your custom command.

• ContactCardMenu   In a person’s contact card, click the options menu , and then click your custom command.