WinZip provides a command line utility that interfaces with WinZip and
accepts variable input. You can SHELL to that utility passing the
zip/unzip action and command line parameters as a string.
http://www.winzip.com/downcl.htm
The command line utility help file provides syntax for the command line
parameters.
Here's a snitch of code from one of my projects. This will take a
variablly named text file and zip it into a variably password protected
zip file in the background.
<compiled code>
wkPath = GetFilePath(CodeDb.Name) & "DataFiles\"
ChDir wkPath
wkText = wkPath & Me.ufISACFtpSource
wkZipt = wkPath & Me.ufISACFtpDest
wkDest = Me.ufISACFtpDest
wkCmnd = "C:/Program Files/WinZip/wzzip.exe -s" & Me.ufISACFtpPwd & "
""" & wkZipt & """ """ & wkText & """"
OK = Shell(wkCmnd, vbMinimizedNoFocus)
</compiled code>
Outlook is a programmable interface that will enable you to manipulate
its data store programmatically. I've never done it, but you should be
able set a reference to the outlook libraries in order to manipulate
them from Access.
Another alternative might be to license the WinZip self-extractor. If
you can get an attached executable past the corporate firewall, all
your user would have to do is double-click the attached executable.
Oops. Did I say that out loud?
King Ron of Chi