To create a MAPI mail application, first make sure that the MAPI system is installed on your computer (see earlier in this chapter) and that you have installed the MAPI controls within Visual Basic. Since the MAPI controls generate messages that control the Microsoft Mail or Exchange client (depending upon the version of Windows), you will often see dialog boxes from these clients displayed. In almost all cases, it is possible to suppress these dialog boxes by supplying the information required you will see how each method looks to the user throughout the following examples.

The basic email program

Start by dragging the MAPISession and MAPIMessages control icons onto your main program form. Enter the following code:

Private Sub Form_Load()   MAPISession1.SignOn   MAPISession1.SignOffEnd Sub

Figure 5.6: The code required to run a MAPI application can be very basic.

This displays the Exchange login screen prompting for the username and password before signing in the user to the mail server, then promptly signing off again. To get rid of this username prompt screen, simply provide the basic information that the MAPISession control requires so that the program code now looks like:

Private Sub Form_Load()   'simple sign on without dialog box   MAPISession1.UserName = "Simon"   MAPISession1.Password = "password"   MAPISession1.SignOn   MAPISession1.SignOffEnd Sub

Figure 5.7: Sign On to choose a profile within Exchange.