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Messaging Transports

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A message transport is a networking protocol that facilitates the transfer of messages between a messaging client application and a messaging host server.

MAPI supports messaging transports by providing functions that allow them to communicate directly with the message stores.

  • The Messaging application communicates with the message transport by using methods on the IMailSyncHandler interface.
  • The message transport communicates with the Messaging application by using methods on the IMailSyncCallBack interface.

Mobile devices running Windows Mobile software use Microsoft ActiveSync as the message transport for transferring e-mail and Microsoft Outlook PIM items between the mobile device and the desktop host computer. In addition to ActiveSync, Windows Mobile-based devices support Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3) and Internet Message Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4) for wirelessly transferring e-mail-based message items between the mobile device and Internet e-mail servers. Windows Mobile-based devices also support Short Message Service (SMS) for sending and receiving cellular telephone-based text message items between the mobile device and a Mobile Operator's SMS server.

Creating a custom message transport for Pocket PC 2000 involved 40 separate Windows CE MsgStore APIs. This has been simplified in Windows Mobile 2002 software and later with the more streamlined IMailSyncHandler interface.

Note   IMailSyncHandler does not provide backward compatibility for Pocket PC 2000.

A custom messaging transport is a DLL that contains the transport protocols, exports the OneStopFactory function, and supports the IMailSyncHandler interface.

To become active, the custom messaging transport must be registered with Windows CE. The entry specifies the name for the new message transport, along with the name of the DLL that contains it, under the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Inbox\Transports\TransportName.

Note   To respond to changes in the registry, the Messaging application must be restarted after the registry has been updated.

Customized messaging transports are usually used in conjunction with customized forms and are used to provide new capabilities such as Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).

When a message is sent on a custom message transport, the following occurs:

  1. The Messaging application searches the Windows CE registry for the required message transport entries.
  2. The Messaging application activates the message transport's DLL.
  3. The Messaging application calls the OneStopFactory function within the DLL. This is the DLL's entry point.
  4. The DLL returns its IMailSyncHandler interface, which serves as the connection between the Messaging application and the message transport.
  5. The Messaging application initializes the message transport by calling IMailSyncHandler::Initialize.
  6. The Messaging application uses the methods on the IMailSyncHandler interface to process the message, to connect and disconnect from the network, and then to end the session with the transport by calling the IMailSyncHandler::ShutDown method.

For more information, see How to: Register Customized Messaging Transports.

See Also

Messaging

Messaging Forms

Customized Messaging Rules Clients

Message Stores

How to: Register Customized Messaging Transports

Messaging Sample Code

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