Messaging Application Programming Interface


Messaging Application Programming Interface

(messaging)(MAPI) A messaging architecture and a clientinterface component for applications such as electronic mail, scheduling, calendaring and document management. As amessaging architecture, MAPI provides a consistent interfacefor multiple application programs to interact with multiplemessaging systems across a variety of hardware platforms.

MAPI provides better performance and control than Simple MAPI, Common Messaging Calls (CMC) or the Active Messaging Library. It has a comprehensive, open, dual-purposeinterface, integrated with Microsoft Windows. MAPI can beused by all levels and types of client application and"service providers" - driver-like components that provide aMAPI interface to a specific messaging system. For example, aword processor can send documents and a workgroupapplication can share and store different types of data usingMAPI.

MAPI separates the programming interfaces used by the clientapplications and the service providers. Every component workswith a common, Microsoft Windows-based user interface. Forexample, a single messaging client application can be used toreceive messages from fax, a bulletin board system, ahost-based messaging system and a LAN-based system.Messages from all of these systems can be delivered to asingle "universal Inbox".

MAPI is aimed at the powerful, new market of workgroupapplications that communicate with such different messagingsystems as fax, DEC All-In-1, voice mail and publiccommunications services such as AT&T Easylink Services,CompuServe and MCI MAIL. Because workgroup applicationsdemand more of their messaging systems, MAPI offers much morethan basic messaging in the programming interface and supportsmore than local area network (LAN)-based messaging systems.Applications can, for example, format text for a singlemessage with a variety of fonts and present to their users acustomised view of messages that have been filtered, sorted orpreprocessed.

MAPI is built into Windows 95 and Windows NT and can beused by 16-bit and 32-bit Windows applications. Theprogramming interface and subsystem contained in the MAPIDLL provide objects which conform to the Component Object Model. MAPI includes standard messaging client applicationsthat demonstrate different levels of messaging support.

MAPI provides cross platform support through such industrystandards as SMTP, X.400 and Common Messaging Calls. MAPIis the messaging component of Windows Open Services Architecture (WOSA).