XADM: How to Determine the Last User to Modify a Message in a Public Folder

In a collaborative environment, several users may have the ability to modify the body of a message or post it in a public folder. An administrator may need to determine which user last modified the message. The last user to modify the message is stored as a property of the message, which is called the PR_LAST_MODIFIER_NAME property.

To read the PR_LAST_MODIFIER_NAME property, you need to use the Mdbvu32.exe utility. This utility is located on the Exchange Server CD in the CD root\Server\Support\Utils\I386 folder. The Mdbvu32.exe utility is a raw Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI) client that displays property information for folders and messages in the information store.

Prerequisite

Before the Mdbvu32.exe utility can work correctly, you must set up a profile at the computer on which you want to run the Mdbvu32.exe utility. Install Exchange Client or Outlook, and then configure a profile for a user who has rights to the folder that you want to examine.

Examining the MAPI Property

To examine the PR_LAST_MODIFIER_NAME property, perform the following steps:

1. Start the Mdbvu32.exe utility.
2. The MAPILogonEx(MAPI_LOGON_UI) dialog box is displayed. Click OK.
3. If the client profile is configured to prompt you for a profile selection, a dialog box is displayed that asks you to choose a profile. Click the profile that you configured in the "Prerequisite" section of this article, and then click OK.
4. The MDB Viewer Test Application dialog box is displayed. On the File menu, click MDB.
5. Click OpenMessageStore.
6. The Select Message Store To Open dialog box is displayed. Click Public Folders, and then click Open.
7. The MDB Viewer Test Application dialog box is displayed. On the File menu, click MDB.
8. Click Open IPM Subtree to open the MAPI_FOLDER - IPM_SUBTREE dialog box.
9. In the Child Folders list, double-click All Public Folders. In the Child Folders list, find the folder that you want, and then click to select the folder.
10. In the Messages in Folder list, click the message that you want to examine. Double-click the message to open the MessageProperties window.
11. Scroll down to the property tag 0x3FFA; this is the PR_LAST_MODIFIER_NAME property, and contains the alias of the last user to modify the message.

NOTE: If you use version 4.0 of Mdbvu32.exe, the property 0x3FFA is displayed. If you use version 5.5 of Mdbvu32.exe, the actual property name PR_LAST_MODIFIER_NAME is displayed.