Architecture

1. The Microsoft Component Object Model

A Component World

Consistency in a component world

Messaging in a component world

Microsoft and OLE, the seeds of a component world

Justification and Functionality of COM

The requirements for COM

Objects and interfaces

Object naming

Object lifespan

Object encapsulation

Implementation within COM

Common standards

The binary interface standard

The error return standard

The memory management standard

As a client

How a client uses an interface

How a client gets an object

How a client gets an interface

What are the rules for reference counting?

How can I automate reference counting?

As a server

Implementing an interface

Implementing a component object

Complex component objects

Implementing a class object in-process

Implementing an in-process server

Implementing an out-of-process server

Alternate class object designs

2. The Win32 Messaging API

MAPI: The Architecture of Messaging Applications

Standardization of messaging architecture

Extensible component architecture

Separation of application and messaging system

Rich API

The user features of the WMS

The MAPI Architecture

Component model

Transport providers

Store providers

Address book providers

Sets of providers

Available API sets

Process Model

The spooler

The client applications

Form servers

The OLE/Messaging server

Object model

Differences from COM

Session, the root object

Properties

Tables

Containers

Additional objects implemented by clients

The applications within the MAPI architecture

A taxonomy of applications

A system application

A report application

A mailbox-centric application

A folder-centric application

None of the above

All of the above

An example application

Source for the program

Checking for MAPI

Starting and stopping MAPI

Managing a session

Managing notifications

The default message store

The spooler

The results

3. Exchange Server: The Messaging System

Component and Process/Data Model of Exchange Server

The NT Domain Controller

The Exchange Server Information Store

The Exchange Server directory

Components Invisible to Applications

The message transfer agent

The system attendant

The directory synchronizer

The key manager

The connectors and gateways

The Clients

RPC in Exchange

Exchange Server as seen by MAPI

Address book provider

Transport provider

Message store provider

Client UI extensions

An Exchange Application as a MAPI Application

The Application as MAPI client

The Exchange Client as an Application

Transcending the Exchange Client

Application

4. Extending the Exchange Client

The client and its extensions

The client

Gross anatomy of the client

Viewers

Forms

Child windows

Client described as a MAPI application

Viewers within MAPI

Forms within MAPI

Client extensions

The extension as component

Its differences from COM

The simplest extension object

Its offered interfaces

IExchExtCommands

IExchExtUserEvents

IExchExtSessionEvents

IExchExtMessageEvents

IExchExtAttachedFileEvents

IExchExtPropertySheets

IExchExtAdvancedCriteria

Life within the client

How the client calls extensions

How Extensions Appear in the Registry

Contents of an extension registry entry

Identifying an extension registry entry

How the client reads entries

Registering the simplest extension, revisited

Different Extensibility contexts

EECONTEXT_TASK

EECONTEXT_SESSION

EECONTEXT_VIEWER

EECONTEXT_REMOTEVIEWER

EECONTEXT_SEARCHVIEWER

EECONTEXT_ADDRBOOK

EECONTEXT_READNOTEMESSAGE

EECONTEXT_SENDNOTEMESSAGE

EECONTEXT_READPOSTMESSAGE

EECONTEXT_SENDPOSTMESSAGE

EECONTEXT_READREPORTMESSAGE

EECONTEXT_READRESENDMESSAGE

EECONTEXT_PROPERTYSHEETS

EECONTEXT_ADVANCEDCRITERIA

Interface offered to the extension

Use at installation

Other uses of the callback

Creating new commands

Extending the menu and toolbar

Extend the menu

Vtable management

Installing the commands

Supporting the menu command

Extend the toolbar

Adding the button

Supporting the button

Enable the command

Invoke the command

Getting input from Exchange

Get the current selection

Currently open item

Set of selected items

Enabling and disabling menu items

Extending a property sheet

Vtable management

Indicating interest

Defining the property sheet

Implementing the property sheet

Releasing the property sheet

Prompt the user for input

Modal versus modeless UI in Exchange extensions

Changing client behavior

Changing existing menu commands

Redefining existing commands

Disabling existing commands

Enhancing the standard forms

Altering the form menu

Altering a read message

Altering a sent message

Automatically processing attached files

5. Forms: Theory and Environment

Forms and Messages

The Role of Forms in MAPI

Send versus Post forms

Send forms

Post forms

Some standard Exchange forms

IPM.Note

IPM.Post

IPM.Document

Report

IPM.Resend

Standard Application-defined Forms

Microsoft Office 95

Microsoft Schedule+ 7.0

Microsoft Exchange Server

Microsoft Exchange Forms Designer

Form as Component Object

Analogy Between Forms and OLE Server Applications

CLSID versus message class

Scope of a valid CLSID

Convergence with Compound Documents

Viewers

Verbs

Creating Structured Messages with Forms

Description of Message Classes

Properties of a Message Class

Property Sets in MAPI

The MAPI Forms Manager

Interface to the Forms Manager

Information about a Form

Properties of a Form

Message class

Form CLSID

Display name

Comment

Icon and mini-icon

Version

Contact name

Designer name and GUID

Category and subcategory

Hidden

Host map

Message behavior

Extensions

Example of Viewing Form Properties

Published properties

Example of viewing published properties

Over multiple forms

Published verbs

Example of viewing published verbs

Storage for a Form

Local (Application) Forms Library

Folder Forms Library

Personal Forms Library

Exchange Server Organization Form Library

Resolution of a form

Steps of resolution

Message superclassing

Making a form local to the client

6. Implementing and Installing the Form

Form as Component Object, Revisited

The interfaces of the object

IPersistMessage

Uninitialized state

Normal state

No Scribble state

Hands Off From Normal state

Hands Off After Save state

State diagram

Message site

Compare with IPersistStorage

IMAPIForm

Avtivation with a verb

View contexts

View advise sinks

How to shut down a form

Compare with IOleObject

IMAPIFormAdviseSink

Synthesis

The server hosting the Form object

Process model

Performance implications

Server caching

The form factory

Implementing a Form Server

First questions

Class identifier (CLSID)

Example

Common scaffolding

Entry point

MAPI initialization

Class object

Message pump

Implementing a basic send form

Object creating

Managing vtables

Implementing IPersistMessage

IPersistMessage::GetLastError

IPersistMessage::GetClassID

IPersistMessage::IsDirty

IPersistMessage::InitNew

IPersistMessage::Load

IPersistMessage::Save

IPersistMessage::SaveCompleted

IPersistMessage::HandsOffMessage

Recycling this implementation

Implementing IMAPIForm

IMAPIForm::GetLastError

IMAPIForm::SetViewContext

IMAPIForm::GetViewContext

IMAPIForm::ShutdownForm

IMAPIForm::DoVerb

IMAPIForm::Advise

IMAPIForm::Unadvise

Recycling this implementation

Implementing IMAPIFormAdviseSink

IMAPIFormAdviseSink::OnChange

IMAPIFormAdviseSink::OnActivateNext

Implementing form commands

How to reply to the current message

How to inherit the implementation of the Exchange client's standard form verbs

How to support printing from the Exchange client

How to support saving to a file from the Exchange client

How to save a message, sent or unsent

How to submit a message for delivery

How to address a message for delivery

Implementing a basic post form

Obvious differences from the send form

How to post a message

Posting a new message

Saving an existing message

Adding the properties ordinarily set by the message spooler

Distinctive post form verbs

Implementing a richer post form

Named properties

Obtaining the property tags

Reading the named properties

Writing the named properties

How to support systems that won't recognize a custom form

Installation of the Completed Server

Specifying the configuration of the form

Description

Platforms

Properties

Verbs

Extensions

7. Manipulating and Containing Forms

Clients of Form Objects

The interfaces of the form's environment

Form interfaces

Host interfaces

Advise sinks

Viewers and forms and sinks, Oh My

To launch a form

Getting a message and client objects

Reading an existing message

Composing a new message

Wrapping the message in a message site

Creating the view context

Acquiring a form object

IMAPIFormMgr::LoadForm

IMAPIFormMgr::CreateForm

IClassFactory::CreateInstance

Initializing the form object

With the message site

With the default view context

Activating the form

Registering a view advise sink

Igniting the form with a verb

Managing the open form

Reactivating the form

Releasing the form

Forcibly closing the form

Implementing Form Clients

Deferring all the work to MAPI

Getting the information from Exchange

Additional information not available from the callback

Preparing the form

Showing the form

Composing a form from an Exchange extension

The extension from a view context

The extension from a note form context

A class definition, and safe interfaces

Getting an instance of the form

Launching that form instance

The source of the host interfaces

Attaching the original message

Creating a response form within a form server

Creating the form

Addressing the form

8. Designing a Folder

About Folder Applications

Components of a Designed Folder

Views

Forms

Comment

Exchange Server-Specific Components

Security

Rules

Replication

Folder Installation

Per-client Setup

Installing Folder Applications

Genesis and Comment

Forms

Effects of the set of folder forms

Installing forms into the folder form library

Views

Brief definition of a view descriptor

Extracting a view from a folder

Installing a view into a folder

Setting the default view to use on a folder

Exchange Server Attributes

Appendices

A. Guide to Sample Applications

msess

mfetch

mlogon

eeminim

eestub

eetrans

mtwb

rtfguard

inetxidm

frminf

poststub

sendstub

catform

msgopen

fwdasatt

vwinst

B. For More Information

In Print, On Disk

On the World Wide Web

Microsoft Corporation

The Author's Site