Question

I am currently building a tool which creates SharePoint sites automatically. Each site must have a mailbox enabled and a specific Email address specified.

I can create the site which by default has a SharePoint list named “mailbox”.

My questions is how to I allow the “mailbox” SPList to receive email. There is a property within an SPList called CanReceiveEmail but this is Read-only? So is there another way?

I also need to be able to set the Email address of the SPList programtically, does anyone know the best way to do this?

It can be done manually but this is not an option.

Answer 1

A simple list (as far as I know but I may be wrong) does not have the ability to receive emails. You can create a custom list that does.
You can create a document library, which by default has this ability.

How these properties are set, you can see when you examine the code (using Lutz Roeder’s Reflector, http://www.red-gate.com/products/reflector/) of /_layouts/EmailSettings.aspx which can be found in “Microsoft.SharePoint.ApplicationPages.dll” found on your server in path something like
\\server\c$\Inetpub\wwwroot\wss\VirtualDirectories\80\_app_bin.
So you will have to set multiple properties of the “rootfolder” of the document library.

The code is as follows :

Protected Sub SubmitButton_Click(ByVal sender As Object, ByVal args As EventArgs)
    If Me.EnabledTrue.Checked Then
        If ((Me.TxtAlias.Text Is Nothing) OrElse (Me.TxtAlias.Text.Length = 0)) Then
            Throw New SPException(SPResource.GetString("MissingEmailAlias", New Object(0  - 1) {}))
        End If

        'This will be the receiving e-mail address
        Me.m_List.EmailAlias = Me.TxtAlias.Text

        'do we need to check users permissions on items
        Me.m_RootFolder.Properties.Item("vti_emailusesecurity") = IIf(Me.UseSecurityTrue.Checked, 1, 0)

        If Me.ShowSaveAttachments Then
            'options how to save attachments, root folder, grouped, whatever
            Me.m_RootFolder.Properties.Item("vti_emailsaveattachments") = IIf(Me.SaveAttachmentsTrue.Checked, 1, 0)
        End If
        If Me.ShowSaveOriginalAndMeetings Then
            Me.m_RootFolder.Properties.Item("vti_emailsavemeetings") = IIf(Me.MeetingsTrue.Checked, 1, 0)
            Me.m_RootFolder.Properties.Item("vti_emailsaveoriginal") = IIf(Me.SaveOriginalTrue.Checked, 1, 0)
        End If

        If Me.ShowAttachmentFolders Then
            Me.m_RootFolder.Properties.Item("vti_emailoverwrite") = IIf(Me.OverwriteTrue.Checked, 1, 0)
            If Me.AttachmentFoldersSender.Checked Then
                Me.m_RootFolder.Properties.Item("vti_emailattachmentfolders") = "sender"
            ElseIf Me.AttachmentFoldersSubject.Checked Then
                Me.m_RootFolder.Properties.Item("vti_emailattachmentfolders") = "subject"
            Else
                Me.m_RootFolder.Properties.Item("vti_emailattachmentfolders") = "root"
            End If
        End If
        If Me.ShowAutoApprove Then
            'I think this is something when content approval is enabled.
            Me.m_RootFolder.Properties.Item("vti_emailautoapprove") = IIf(Me.AutoApproveTrue.Checked, 1, 0)
        End If
    ElseIf Me.EnabledFalse.Checked Then
        Me.m_List.EmailAlias = Nothing
    End If
    Me.m_RootFolder.Update
    Me.m_List.ResetContentTypes
    Me.m_List.Update
    SPUtility.Redirect((IIf((Me.m_List.BaseType = SPBaseType.Survey), "survedit", "listedit") & ".aspx?List=" & Me.m_List.ID.ToString), SPRedirectFlags.RelativeToLocalizedLayoutsPage, Me.Context)
End Sub

EDIT: added comments to my code