Can I read an Outlook (2003/2007) PST file in C#?

Answer 1

The MAPI API is what you are looking for. Unfortunately it is not available in .Net so I'm afraid you will have to resort to calling unmanaged code.

A quick Google reveals several wrappers available, maybe they work for you?

This might also be helpful: http://www.wischik.com/lu/programmer/mapi_utils.html

Answer 2

The Outlook Interop library is not just for addins. For example it could be used to write a console app that just reads all your Outlook Contacts. I am pretty sure that the standard Microsoft Outlook Interop library will let you read the mail - albeit it will probably throw a security prompt in Outlook that the user will have to click through.

EDITS: Actually implementing mail reading using Outlook Interop depends on what your definition of 'standalone' means. The Outlook Interop lib requires Outlook to be installed on the client machine in order to function.

// Dumps all email in Outlook to console window.
// Prompts user with warning that an application is attempting to read Outlook data.
using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.Text;
using Outlook = Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook;

namespace OutlookEmail
{
class Program
{
    static void Main(string[] args)
    {
        Outlook.Application app = new Outlook.Application();
        Outlook.NameSpace outlookNs = app.GetNamespace("MAPI");
        Outlook.MAPIFolder emailFolder = outlookNs.GetDefaultFolder(Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook.OlDefaultFolders.olFolderInbox);

        foreach (Outlook.MailItem item in emailFolder.Items)
        {
            Console.WriteLine(item.SenderEmailAddress + " " + item.Subject + "\n" + item.Body);
        }
        Console.ReadKey();
    }
}
}

Answer 3

This .NET connector for Outlook might get you started.

Answer 4

Yes you can use MS Access and then you either import your pst content or just link it (slow!).

Answer 5

As already mentioned in one of your linked SO questions, I'd also recommend using the Redemption library. I'm using it in a commercial application for processing Outlook mails and performing various tasks with them. It's working flawlessly and prevents showing up the annoying security alerts. It would mean using COM Interop, but that shouldn't be a problem.

There's a library in that package called RDO which is replacing the CDO 1.21, which lets you access PST files directly. Then it's as easy as writing (VB6 code):

set Session = CreateObject("Redemption.RDOSession")

' open or create a new PST store
Session.LogonPstStore("c:\temp\test_default_folders.pst", 1, "Test Default Folders Store")
set Store = Session.Stores.DefaultStore

Answer 6

How do you turn off the Outlook security alerts when accessing certain information of the MailItems?

Answer 7

Regarding Mike C - "I just can't see the stores collection of the outlook namespace." -- I can't either. How did you resolve this? I am using Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook version 12.

Answer 8

I went through and did the refactoring for subfolders

    private static IEnumerable<MailItem> readPst(string pstFilePath, string pstName)
    {
        List<MailItem> mailItems = new List<MailItem>();
        Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook.Application app = new Microsoft.Office.Interop.Outlook.Application();
        NameSpace outlookNs = app.GetNamespace("MAPI");

        // Add PST file (Outlook Data File) to Default Profile
        outlookNs.AddStore(pstFilePath);

        string storeInfo = null;

        foreach (Store store in outlookNs.Stores)
        {
            storeInfo = store.DisplayName;
            storeInfo = store.FilePath;
            storeInfo = store.StoreID;
        }

        MAPIFolder rootFolder = outlookNs.Stores[pstName].GetRootFolder();

        // Traverse through all folders in the PST file
        Folders subFolders = rootFolder.Folders;

        foreach (Folder folder in subFolders)
        {
            ExtractItems(mailItems, folder);
        }
        // Remove PST file from Default Profile
        outlookNs.RemoveStore(rootFolder);
        return mailItems;
    }

    private static void ExtractItems(List<MailItem> mailItems, Folder folder)
    {
        Items items = folder.Items;

        int itemcount = items.Count;

        foreach (object item in items)
        {
            if (item is MailItem)
            {
                MailItem mailItem = item as MailItem;
                mailItems.Add(mailItem);
            }
        }

        foreach (Folder subfolder in folder.Folders)
        {
            ExtractItems(mailItems, subfolder);
        }
    }

Answer 9

We are going to use this, to provide a solution that doesn't rely on outlook.

http://www.independentsoft.de/pst/index.html

It is very expensive, but we hope that will lower development time and increase quality.

Answer 10

For those mentioning that they don't see the Stores collection:

The Stores collection was added in Outlook 2007. So, if you're using an interop library created from an earlier version (in an attempt to be version independent - this is ver common) then this would be why you won't see the Stores collection.

Your only options to get the Stores are to do one of the following:

• Use an interop library for Outlook 2007 (this means your code won't work for earlier versions of Outlook).
• Enumerate all top level folders with Outlook object model, extract the StoreID of each folder, and then use CDO or MAPI interfaces to get more information about each store.
• Enumerate the InfoStores collection of CDO session object, and then use the fields collection of InfoStore object in order to get more information about each store.
• Or (the hardest way) use extended MAPI call (In C++): IMAPISession::GetMsgStoresTable.

Answer 11

Hi,

You may also try Aspose.Network for .NET to read and extract msg files from Outlook PST file. Please visit http://www.aspose.com/documentation/.net-components/aspose.network-for-.net/read-outlook-pst-file-and-get-folders-and-subfolders-information.html for more information.

Regards, Saqib Razzaq