Getting folders by using the EWS Managed API 2.0
Last modified: October 13, 2012
Applies to: EWS Managed API | Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) | Exchange Server 2010
Note: This content applies to the EWS Managed API 2.0 and earlier versions. For the latest information about the EWS Managed API, see Web services in Exchange.
You can use the Microsoft Exchange Web Services (EWS) Managed API to get folders from a mailbox. To do this, you specify which folder to get, bind to that folder, and then load the folder. When the folder is retrieved, you have access to the properties of the folder.
To get a folder from a mailbox
Get a folder with a valid ExchangeService object. You need to Bind the folder to the service.
Note
Calling this method results in a call to EWS.
Folder rootfolder = Folder.Bind(service, WellKnownFolderName.MsgFolderRoot);After you get the folder, you have access to the properties of the folder, including the display name and the number of child folders.
Console.WriteLine("The " + rootfolder.DisplayName + " has " + rootfolder.ChildFolderCount + " child folders.");Load the folder. The following example loads the folder with only the first class properties. To load other properties, use the Load(PropertySet) method with a PropertySet class object to specify which properties to load.
Note
Calling this method results in a call to the EWS server.
rootfolder.Load();Do something with the folder. The following example shows how to write the display name and identifier of each child folder.
foreach (Folder folder in rootfolder.FindFolders(new FolderView(100))) { Console.WriteLine("\nName: " + folder.DisplayName + "\n Id: " + folder.Id); }
Example
The following code example shows how to get the message root folder and display a count of child folders and the display name and identifier of each child folder.
// Get all the folders in the message's root folder.
Folder rootfolder = Folder.Bind(service, WellKnownFolderName.MsgFolderRoot);
Console.WriteLine("The " + rootfolder.DisplayName + " has " + rootfolder.ChildFolderCount + " child folders.");
// A GetFolder operation has been performed.
// Now do something with the folder, such as display each child folder's name and ID.
rootfolder.Load();
foreach (Folder folder in rootfolder.FindFolders(new FolderView(100)))
{
Console.WriteLine("\nName: " + folder.DisplayName + "\n Id: " + folder.Id);
}
'Get all the folders in the message's root folder.
Dim rootfolder As Folder = Folder.Bind(service, WellKnownFolderName.MsgFolderRoot)
Console.WriteLine("The " + rootfolder.DisplayName + " has " + rootfolder.ChildFolderCount.ToString() + " child folders.")
'A GetFolder operation has been performed.
'Now do something with the folder, such as display each child folder's name and id.
rootfolder.Load()
For Each folder In rootfolder.FindFolders(New FolderView(100))
Console.WriteLine(ChrW(10) + "Name: " + folder.DisplayName + ChrW(10) + " Id: " + folder.Id.ToString())
Next
The following example shows the XML that is sent by the Bind(ExchangeService, WellKnownFolderName) method.
<soap:Envelope xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:m="https://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/messages"
xmlns:t="https://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types"
xmlns:soap="https://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
<soap:Header>
<t:RequestServerVersion Version="Exchange2010_SP1" />
</soap:Header>
<soap:Body>
<m:GetFolder>
<m:FolderShape>
<t:BaseShape>AllProperties</t:BaseShape>
</m:FolderShape>
<m:FolderIds>
<t:DistinguishedFolderId Id="msgfolderroot" />
</m:FolderIds>
</m:GetFolder>
</soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>
The following example shows the XML that is returned by using the Bind(ExchangeService, WellKnownFolderName) method. The FolderId and ChangeKey attributes have been shortened to preserve readability.
<s:Envelope xmlns:s="https://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/">
<s:Header>
<h:ServerVersionInfo MajorVersion="14"
MinorVersion="1"
MajorBuildNumber="225"
MinorBuildNumber="46"
Version="Exchange2010_SP1"
xmlns:h="https://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types"
xmlns="https://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" />
</s:Header>
<s:Body xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xmlns:xsd="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<m:GetFolderResponse xmlns:m="https://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/messages"
xmlns:t="https://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types">
<m:ResponseMessages>
<m:GetFolderResponseMessage ResponseClass="Success">
<m:ResponseCode>NoError</m:ResponseCode>
<m:Folders>
<t:Folder>
<t:FolderId Id="AAMkADk5MmY1ZThmLTM2MzAtNGVh" ChangeKey="AQAAABYAAACSe/NBrSZiQKqHx8yL+lIRAAAA1EWM" />
<t:ParentFolderId Id="AAMkADk5MmY1ZThmLTM2MzAtNGVh" ChangeKey="AQAAAA==" />
<t:DisplayName>Top of Information Store</t:DisplayName>
<t:TotalCount>0</t:TotalCount>
<t:ChildFolderCount>15</t:ChildFolderCount>
<t:EffectiveRights>
<t:CreateAssociated>true</t:CreateAssociated>
<t:CreateContents>true</t:CreateContents>
<t:CreateHierarchy>true</t:CreateHierarchy>
<t:Delete>true</t:Delete>
<t:Modify>true</t:Modify>
<t:Read>true</t:Read>
<t:ViewPrivateItems>true</t:ViewPrivateItems>
</t:EffectiveRights>
<t:PermissionSet>
<t:Permissions>
<t:Permission>
<t:UserId>
<t:DistinguishedUser>Default</t:DistinguishedUser>
</t:UserId>
<t:CanCreateItems>false</t:CanCreateItems>
<t:CanCreateSubFolders>false</t:CanCreateSubFolders>
<t:IsFolderOwner>false</t:IsFolderOwner>
<t:IsFolderVisible>false</t:IsFolderVisible>
<t:IsFolderContact>false</t:IsFolderContact>
<t:EditItems>None</t:EditItems>
<t:DeleteItems>None</t:DeleteItems>
<t:ReadItems>None</t:ReadItems>
<t:PermissionLevel>None</t:PermissionLevel>
</t:Permission>
<t:Permission>
<t:UserId>
<t:DistinguishedUser>Anonymous</t:DistinguishedUser>
</t:UserId>
<t:CanCreateItems>false</t:CanCreateItems>
<t:CanCreateSubFolders>false</t:CanCreateSubFolders>
<t:IsFolderOwner>false</t:IsFolderOwner>
<t:IsFolderVisible>false</t:IsFolderVisible>
<t:IsFolderContact>false</t:IsFolderContact>
<t:EditItems>None</t:EditItems>
<t:DeleteItems>None</t:DeleteItems>
<t:ReadItems>None</t:ReadItems>
<t:PermissionLevel>None</t:PermissionLevel>
</t:Permission>
</t:Permissions>
</t:PermissionSet>
<t:UnreadCount>0</t:UnreadCount>
</t:Folder>
</m:Folders>
</m:GetFolderResponseMessage>
</m:ResponseMessages>
</m:GetFolderResponse>
</s:Body>
</s:Envelope>
This example assumes that the ExchangeService object is configured correctly to connect to the user's Client Access server.
Compiling the code
For information about compiling this code, see Getting started with the EWS Managed API 2.0.
Robust programming
Write appropriate error handling code for common search errors.
Review the client request XML that is sent to the Exchange server.
Review the server response XML that is sent from the Exchange server.
Set the service binding as shown in Setting the Exchange service URL by using the EWS Managed API 2.0. Do not hard code URLs because if mailboxes move, they might be serviced by a different Client Access server. If the client cannot connect to the service, retry setting the binding by using the AutodiscoverUrl(String) method.
Set the target Exchange Web Services schema version by setting the requestedServerVersion parameter of the ExchangeService constructor. For more information, see Versioning EWS requests by using the EWS Managed API 2.0.
Security
Use HTTP with SSL for all communication between client and server.
Always validate the server certificate that is used for establishing the SSL connections. For more information, see Validating X509 certificates by using the EWS Managed API 2.0.
Do not include user names and passwords in trace files.
Verify that Autodiscover lookups that use HTTP GET to find an endpoint always prompt for user confirmation; otherwise, they should be blocked.
See also