Example: Results of Using Formats

The following table shows the results of using formats for rendering a typical set of message properties. These seven properties constitute what is commonly known as the Normal view (of a message collection). If you do not set formats, the properties are rendered as shown in the second column, but if you do set formats, you will see the values or images in the third column.

Effect of Using Formats to Render Properties

MAPI property Without a format With a format
PR_IMPORTANCE 0, 1, or 2 (long integer) image (, nothing, or )
PR_MESSAGE_CLASS IPM.Note image (, or other item specific to the message class)
PR_HASATTACH 0 (or 1) image ()
PR_SENT_
REPRESENTING_NAME
(sender, as a string) (sender, as a string)
PR_SUBJECT (subject, as a string) (subject, as a string)
PR_RECEIPT_TIME (date received, in SYSTIME format) (date received, as a string)
PR_MESSAGE_SIZE 1024 (long integer value, in bytes) 1 KB (converted to kilobytes)

In the preceding table, the MAPI PR_HASATTACH property, which contains a 1 or a 0, indicates whether an item has an attachment or not. The meaning of this property is better conveyed with text ("Has an Attachment") or a GIF image of a paper clip, which you can display using an HTML image tag. In this example the image is a pattern that matches the value of 1 for the PR_HASATTACH property.