Links are most useful when you have a shared message store, such as the Microsoft® Exchange Server public folders, Lotus Notes, or the Microsoft Mail Server shared folders. One common use of links is to inform people, through the use of e-mail, of the presence of a new shared folder or message. Other people will not generally be able to follow links to your own personal messages or folders. (Links within a personal folder store may still be very useful, for instance, if you are compiling information for distribution and wish to cross-link items.)
The Microsoft Exchange Client can both create and read folder links (.XNK files). To create a folder link in the filesystem, select the folder in the scope (left) pane of the Microsoft Exchange viewer, choose Create Shortcut from the File menu, and enter the path of the file you want. To open a Microsoft Exchange viewer on the folder named in the link, use the /t command line option. On Windows NT or Windows 95,
exchng32 /t foo.xnk
and on Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups,
exchng /t foo.xnk
This command always creates a new viewer window; if Microsoft Exchange is already running, it does not replace the folder currently being viewed with the linked folder.
Folder links can also be attached to messages as ordinary attached files. Double-clicking on an attached folder link also causes Microsoft Exchange to open a new window for viewing the linked folder.
The Microsoft Exchange Client can create and read message links in other messages. To create a message link in another message, choose the Message command from the Insert menu. In the Insert as radio button group of the resulting dialog box, select Link attachment to original item, then choose a message from the listbox. To activate a linked message, simply double-click it; Microsoft Exchange displays the message in a new window, using the appropriate form.