About This Guide

About This Guide
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Messaging Server Plug-in API Guide

About This Guide

The Messaging Server Plug-in API Guide explains how to use the Messaging Server plug-in application programming interface (API) to write server plug-ins that extend Netscape Messaging Server 4.0.

This guide assumes that you are using Messaging Server Plug-in API 4.0, which is available on the Solaris, HP-UX 11.00, and AIX platforms.

This chapter has the following sections:

"What You Should Already Know"

"Where to Find the Messaging Server Plug-in File"

"Where to Find Messaging Server Information"

"New in This Release"

"In This Guide"

"Document Conventions"

"Sample Code"

What You Should Already Know

The Messaging Server Plug-in API Guide is intended for developers who want to extend the functionality of the Netscape Messaging Server for site-specific reasons. This guide assumes that you are a programmer with this background:

A general understanding of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW).

A general understanding of Messaging Server. This guide does not duplicate basic information on server administration or messaging concepts.

Programming experience in C or C++.

Where to Find the Messaging Server Plug-in File

The Messaging Server Plug-in API is defined in the msg4plugins.h header file. You can see this file in HTML format or download the file.

Where to Find Messaging Server Information

For Netscape developer information, see the Netscape DevEdge site.

Netscape provides a number of sources for information about Messaging Server:

For information about installing, configuring, and managing the Netscape Messaging Server, see the Messaging Server 4.0 Administration Guide.

For general information about the Messaging Server, see the Netscape Messaging Server Products and Downloads page. From this page, you can access documentation online, download client SDKs, and find support information and additional resources.

For information about Netscape server APIs, see these Netscape documents:

For details about the messaging elements referenced in this guide, see the following RFCs (Requests for Comments):

New in This Release

The 4.0 Messaging Server Plug-in API contains several new functions that help in handling messages.

The GetMessageFile function returns the filename and path of the message file. This function combines two 3.0 functions, GetHeaderFile and GetBodyFile, which have been removed. For more information, see Appendix A, "Converting Messaging Server Plug-in 3.0 Files."
The pInitFunc and pFunc functions are prototypes for functions that must be exported by the plug-in. For more information, see "Writing the Initialization and Plug-in Functions."
This version of the API includes a set of control functions for handling the control, or envelope, information in a message: GetControlData, FreeControlData, AddControlInfo, and RemoveControlInfo. For more information, see "Accessing Control Data."

The 4.0 Messaging Server Plug-in API changes some existing structures and definitions and adds new structures. These changes should not affect your Messaging Server Plug-in API 3.0 files. See Appendix A, "Converting Messaging Server Plug-in 3.0 Files."

The definitions of the Message and pblock structures have been changed.
The API includes these new structures: Address and AddressList.
The Recipient structure has been removed.

For information about using the new API elements, see Chapter 2, "Using the Messaging Server Plug-in API" and the individual reference entry for each element in Chapter 3, "Messaging Server Plug-in API Reference."

For information about upgrading existing Messaging Server Plug-in API 3.0 files to 4.0, see Appendix A, "Converting Messaging Server Plug-in 3.0 Files."

In This Guide

This guide explains how to use the Messaging Server Plug-in API to write server plug-ins that extend the Netscape Messaging Server 4.0. Table 1 describes each chapter in more detail.

Table 1 Finding information in this guide

If you want to do this: See this chapter:
Learn more about the Messaging Server Plug-in API.
Chapter 1, "Introducing the Messaging Server Plug-in API"

Learn about using this API to add site-specific functionality to Messaging Server 4.0.
Chapter 2, "Using the Messaging Server Plug-in API"

Find reference information about functions, data structures, and result codes.
Chapter 3, "Messaging Server Plug-in API Reference"

Go step-by-step through the process of constructing a plug-in.
Chapter 4, "Messaging Server Sample Plug-in"

Run a test plug-in with code provided for you.
Chapter 4, "Messaging Server Sample Plug-in"

Find out what you need to know to convert 3.0 Messaging Server Plug-in API files to 4.0.
Appendix A, "Converting Messaging Server Plug-in 3.0 Files"

Document Conventions

Path name conventions. The Messaging Server Plug-in API 4.0 runs on Unix platforms. Unix format, in which slashes separate directory names, is used to represent file and directory paths.

URLs. This book uses Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) with this format:

http://server.domain/path/file.html

Where the parts of the URL have these values:

`server`	Name of the server on which your application is running, for example, `www`
`domain`	Internet domain name, for example, `netscape.com`
`path`	Directory structure on the server
`filename.html`	Name of a file

Fonts. All program code listings, URLs, and other program names appear in Courier, a monospace font. Placeholders in code or URL formats, which you replace with your own value, are in italicized Courier font.

Note Formats. This guide emphasizes information with several types of note formats:

NOTE: Information of interest to the developer but not essential to understanding the surrounding topic. §

WARNING: Information that can affect the development decisions you make or the development environment you choose. Don't miss these notes. §

Sample Code

The sample code in this guide was tested running Netscape Messaging Server 4.0 on the Windows NT Workstation or Server and Unix platform.

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Last Updated: 11/19/98 10:23:51

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