Displaying Cusom headers on outlook 2003

David,

I am looking for latter where i should be able to see the my header "X-My-Header" with From, Subject, Received, Size, Flag etc headers. I tried to create a custom field as Right click on header-> Customize Current View... -> Fields -> New Field. I added this field to the view also, but even though there is a value, it doesn't show up. Is there anything i am doing wrong here?

What is it you want to add to the view?  Have you created and populated a user-property in the messages?  

> Have you created and populated a user-property in the messages?

Yes. The message looks something like:

X-UIDL: 0forum.java.sun.com51190419412414
From: testing
To: me
Reply-To: testing@somehost
Subject: Class Format error
Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8
X-Message-ID: 5119041
X-Total: 0
Date: Tue 26 Dec 2006 12:59:00 +0530
References: 9412414
Followup-To: Java Programming

Body of the message.


I want to see "X-Message-ID" and "X-Total" on the headers.

I'm not clear on how what you posted answers my question.  What you posted looks like part of the message's internet header.  That doesn't have anything to do with my question about creating and populating a user-property in the message.  

actually that was the question - sorry if it was not clear. So, I want to show "X-Message-ID" as new column on the view.

Ok.  "X-Message-ID" isn't an Outlook property.  I believe that getting it will require using CDO (Collaboration Data Objects).  I'll have to double-check that to make sure that piece of information is available via CDO, but I believe it is.  If I'm right, then we'll have to script getting the value via CDO.  That same script will then have to create a user-property in the arriving message item and set its value based on what we get from CDO.  The last step is creating a field in the view to display the user-property.  Will you be the only person using this?  I'm asking because deploying this solution to a large number of users will be cumbersome.

Yes, the internet header is available via CDO.  I went through several messages in my mailbox and none of them have a field called "X-Message-ID" though.  They do have a field called "Message-ID" though.  Also, reading the header is going to trigger Outlook's built-in security.  That means each time the code for doing this fires it's going to cause a dialog-box to pop up warning that an application is accessing your mailbox and asking for your permission to allow it to continue.  There are ways around this, but it generally requires a third-party tool or utility.

Thats good news.
I am not planning to deploy it, its for my personal use.

I have not worked on microsoft technologies much. So, I have few questions:

1. As i understand we can show any custom header by the way you have stated above?
2. Can you please provide me code which would show a header? Don't know what is CDO and how to use it. If there is any third-party tool available, pls post the link.

Good morning, Ajay-Singh.

Here are the answers to your questions.

1.  Yes.
2.  The code for doing this is below along with instructions on how to use it.  CDO (Collaboration Data Objects) is explained in more detail here: http://searchsqlserver.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid87_gci213570,00.html  The current version of CDO is 1.21.  To see if you have it installed on your computer do a search for CDO.DLL.  There are two third-party products for getting around Outlook's internal security.  The first is called Click-Yes (http://www.contextmagic.com/express-clickyes/).  It is a small utility that sits in the system tray and watches for the security warning dialog-box.  When it sees one it clicks the Yes button for you.  The second is called Outlook Redemption (http://www.dimastr.com/redemption).  It is a COM component (i.e. a DLL) that provides a safe workaround of Outlook security.

Here's the code for displaying a message's internet headers.  This demonstrates how to get the header.  It is not a complete solution to your question.  To become a complete solution we'll have to add code to parse the header and get just the field(s) you want, add a user-defined field to the message, populate it with the value we've parsed out,  and you'll need to decide what to do about the Outlook security issue.  Follow these instructions to use this code.

1.  Start Outlook.
2.  Click Tools->Macro->Visual Basic Editor.
3.  If not already expanded, expand Modules and click on Module1.
4.  Copy the code below and paste it into the right-hand pane of the VB Editor.
5.  Click the diskette icon on the toolbar to save the changes.
6.  Close the VB Editor.
7.  Click Tools->Macro->Security.
8.  Change the Security Level setting to Medium.
9.  Select a message in any folder.
10.  Run the macro (Tools->Macro->Macros, select this macro, click Run).
11.  Outlook's security warning dialog-box will pop up.  Click Yes to allow the macro to run.
12.  A dialog-box will appear either reporting that there was an error retrieving the internet header of the message or displaying that header.

Sub GetInternetHeaders()
    'Set the error handler to allow us to handle errors in code
    On Error Resume Next

    'Declare a constant
    Const CdoPR_TRANSPORT_MESSAGE_HEADERS = &H7D001E

    'Declare a few variables
    Dim mapSession As Object, _
        olkItem As Outlook.MailItem, _
        mapMessage As Object, _
        mapFields As Object, _
        strHeader As String

    'Create a CDO session and login to it using the existing Outlook session
    Set mapSession = CreateObject("MAPI.Session")
    mapSession.Logon , , False, False, 0

    'Get the selected message's ID
    Set olkItem = Application.ActiveExplorer.Selection(1)
    Set mapMessage = mapSession.GetMessage(olkItem.EntryID, olkItem.Parent.StoreID)

    'Get message fields
    Set mapFields = mapMessage.Fields

    'Get the Internet header
    Err.Clear
    strHeader = mapFields.Item(CdoPR_TRANSPORT_MESSAGE_HEADERS).Value
    If Err.Number = 0 Then
        MsgBox strHeader
    Else
        MsgBox "Unable to retrieve internet header information.", vbError + vbOKOnly
    End If

    'Logout of the CDO sesison
    mapSession.Logoff

    'Clean up
    Set olkItem = Nothing
    Set mapSession = Nothing
    Set mapMessage = Nothing
    Set mapFields = Nothing
End Sub

Thanks for the descriptive reply.

I am able to run it the way you mentioned.
I don't wan to see the header on the dialog box. I want see on message listing. By default outlook lists the messages and shows "Importance", "Icon", "Attachment", "From", "Subject", "Received", "Size" header on a row for a message. I want to see the value of this header there.

> I want to see the value of this header there
I understand that.  That's why I said, "This demonstrates how to get the header.  It is not a complete solution to your question."  I also said, "you'll need to decide what to do about the Outlook security issue".  It isn't going to be practical to use this unless you decide on how to work around the security issue.  Otherwise, you're going to have a security dialog-box popping up on EVERY message you receive.  Do you want me to go ahead and post the code anyway?

As you suggested i can use the software you have mentioned above - that should solve the security issue. If need we have sign this macro?

Anyway, pls post the code.

Thanks for chiming this java guy - i am learning VB now. These suggestions were really good. But i don't find it working as expected. When i run this script on rules wizard even though the script is getting called i don't see the new properties. It works correctly if its running on small amount of messages (i tested with 10 message). It fails when the POP server sends large no of messages (tested with 50 messages). I have modified the code little bit[1] to take care of noisy outlook script error dialog.

Is there any way we can see these new user-properties (we have added) when I am reading the mail - it only shows From, To, CC, Subject, Sent.


[1] the modified code:

Sub GetInternetHeaders(olkItem As Outlook.MailItem)
    'Set the error handler to allow us to handle errors in code
    On Error Resume Next

    'Declare a constant
    Const CdoPR_TRANSPORT_MESSAGE_HEADERS = &H7D001E

    'Declare a few variables
    Dim mapSession As Object, _
        mapMessage As Object, _
        mapFields As Object, _
        strHeader As String, _
        arrHeaders As Variant, _
        varHeader As Variant

    Set mapSession = CreateObject("Redemption.RDOSession")
    mapSession.Logon , , False, False, 0

    Set mapMessage = mapSession.GetMessageFromID(olkItem.EntryID, olkItem.Parent.StoreID)
   
    'Get the Internet header
    Err.Clear
    Dim count As Integer
    Dim value As String
    count = 0
    strHeader = mapMessage.Fields(CdoPR_TRANSPORT_MESSAGE_HEADERS)
    On Error GoTo errorHandler
    If Err.Number <> 0 Then
        MsgBox ("Error while reading the fields: " & Err.Description)
    End If

    'MsgBox (strHeader)
    If Err.Number = 0 Then
        arrHeaders = Split(strHeader, vbCrLf)
        For Each varHeader In arrHeaders
            'MsgBox (varHeader)
            ' Change message-id on the following line to whatever header field you want to use.
            ' If the field name does change, then change 11 to the number of characters in that
            ' field's name, plus 1 for the colon.
            If Left(LCase(varHeader), 13) = "x-post-forum:" Then
                'Change MessageID on the following 2 lines to whatever user-property
                'name you want to use
                olkItem.UserProperties.Add "Forum", olText, True
                value = Trim(Mid(varHeader, 14))
                olkItem.UserProperties.Item("Forum") = value
                count = count + 1
                'MsgBox ("Adding Forum " & value)
            ElseIf Left(LCase(varHeader), 12) = "x-post-type:" Then
                olkItem.UserProperties.Add "Type", olText, True
                value = Trim(Mid(varHeader, 13))
                olkItem.UserProperties.Item("Type") = value
                count = count + 1
            End If
           
            If count >= 2 Then
                Exit For
            End If
        Next
    End If
    olkItem.Save

errorHandler:
    If Err.Number <> 0 Then
        MsgBox ("Genera Error, code = " & Err.Number & ", Description = " & Err.Description)
    End If

    'Logout of the CDO sesison
    mapSession.Logoff
    'Clean up
    'Set olkItem = Nothing
    Set mapSession = Nothing
    Set mapMessage = Nothing
    Set mapFields = Nothing
End Sub

Another thing to add - my rule is moving the mail from one personal folder to another.

> When i run this script on rules wizard even though the script is getting called i don't see the new properties.

Have you modified your view and added the new properties to it?


> It works correctly if its running on small amount of messages (i tested with 10 message). It fails when the POP server sends large no of messages (tested with 50 messages).

I'm a little confused.  In the last comment you say it's not working and in this one you say it works perfectly but only if the number of received messages is small.  If it's working at all, even for a few messages, then I don't understand your prior comment.  Please help me understand.  The process should work no matter how many messages are received.  If it doesn't, then it's not the script but some internal Outlook issue that restricts rule processing when more than a set number of items are received.


> Is there any way we can see these new user-properties (we have added) when I am reading the mail

You should be able to do it with a custom form.  In addition to building a custom form you'd also have to add to the code to change the form type of arriving messages to your custom form.

> Another thing to add - my rule is moving the mail from one personal folder to another.
Sorry, I don't understand what that has to do with this issue.  Unless you're saying that moving the messages to another folder is somehow causing a problem.

> Have you modified your view and added the new properties to it?
Yes.

> I'm a little confused.  In the last comment you say it's not working and in this one you say it works perfectly...

Here is the situation... I have created a rule on my outlook saying that any mail coming from a particular mail account, move it to some folder (this folder resides on different pst) and run the script. Now, when the outlook checks for new mail from my POP server and lets say it downloads 1 mail - the mail is being moved to the folder but i could not see the properties. I added some debug statements to popup on some places to make sure that its adding the properties. I could see the popups coming.

I did further experiment - when the folder i am trying to move resides on the same personal folder, it works correctly (but only for small amount of mails, ie when pop server sends 5-10 mails - it works. when it sends 100 mails it doesn't). Quite wiered!

> the mail is being moved to the folder but i could not see the properties
Probably because the destination folder doesn't have the properties added to it.  Can the rule be adjusted to move the item before the script is run?

> when pop server sends 5-10 mails - it works. when it sends 100 mails it doesn't)
How long have you waited?  When Outlook gets a large number of messages rule processing is deferred until Outlook decides that the computer is idle.  It can take a minute or two sometimes.

> Can the rule be adjusted to move the item before the script is run?
Its already doing. It first moves and then run the script.

> Probably because the destination folder doesn't have the properties added to it.
What should i do to add these properties? The way i did was: I created a view containing the new properties and when the message is moved i applied that view.

> How long have you waited?
Couple of minutes. Its happening with 50 no of messages (the messages are not of big fixes, max 8K, avg 2K) - not sure if outlook is deferring for it.