PC Win: Undocumented Extension to Custom Command Syntax

• Microsoft Mail for Windows, versions 3.0, 3.0b, and 3.2

SUMMARY

With versions 3.0, 3.0b, and 3.2 of Microsoft Mail for Windows, you can create custom commands. There is an undocumented extension to the syntax for defining custom commands in the MSMAIL.INI file.

The custom command can specify that a particular ordinal in a dynamic-link library (DLL) should be called by placing a comma and a number after the DLL name in the custom command entry.

For example, the following entry specifies that ordinal 24 in the MSRMTUI.DLL file should be used:

   MSMRT:ConnectNow=3.0;view;Connect &Now...; -1; msrmtui.dll,24; ;
    *0000000000000000;Connect to Postoffice;MSRMT.HLP;6506

MORE INFORMATION

Chapter 1 of the Microsoft Mail "Technical Reference" describes how to create custom commands. According to the "Technical Reference," a custom command DLL must have the following function defined:

   long FAR PASCAL Command (PARAMBLK FAR * lpParamblk)

The "Technical Reference" specifies that this function must be exported with the ordinal number 1. Using the undocumented extension to the MSMAIL.INI syntax, the function can be exported with another ordinal number. In this case, the entry in the MSMAIL.INI file should refer to this new ordinal number.