About: WebDav

  • Article

API Interface:  Mailbox Accessor API Interface:  HTTP Protocol Extension
Business Logic: Mail, Contacts and Simple Calendaring.
Language Support: Any language that can submit XML formatted HTTP requests
Direct Property Access:  Yes.
Product Versions: Exchange 2000, Exchange 2003 and Exchange 2007

Summary:

Exchange WebDAV is an extension of IIS WebDAV built specifically for Exchange Server.  WebDAV can be used to create, delete, change, and search items and folders in the Exchange Web Store. Using WebDAV is simply a matter of creating and reading formatted XML submitted to and received from an Exchange server via HTTP.

Points of Interest:

  • WebDAV is not a web service, the developer must read and write the XML strings without the use of a Visual Studio proxy class
  • Complex calendaring including the ability to send meeting requests and modify complex recurrence patterns in WebDAV is not supported.
  • In Exchange 2000 and 20003 WebDAV was is only Exchange API supported for use in managed.
  • Exchange Web Services (EWS) was added to Exchange 2007 as a replacement for WebDAV.
  • WebDAV is not supported in Exchange 2010 and above.  Consider moving to Exchange Web Services or REST for new development.
  • WebDAV has a lot of capabilities, however it requires a lot of coding and it is often difficult to create properly formed items.  As an example there was no support for complex calendar items with WebDAV due to the complexity involved and the need to use MIME and ICS content.

Backgrounders:

Exchange Store WebDAV Protocol
https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa143161(v=exchg.65).aspx

WebDAV 101 - blog articles on Exchange WebDAV
https://blogs.msdn.com/b/webdav_101/archive/tags/webdav/

Welcome to WebDAV 101 - Training document
https://blogs.msdn.com/b/webdav_101/archive/2006/06/30/welcome-to-webdav-101.aspx
https://blogs.msdn.com/cfs-file.ashx/__key/communityserver-components-postattachments/00-00-65-28-51/WEBDAV-101-_2D00_rev-1.6.doc

Large Samples:

WebStoreExplore 1.8.3 is now public
https://blogs.msdn.com/b/webdav_101/archive/2011/06/01/webstoreexplore-1-8-3-is-now-public.aspx

Also see:

About: Messaging APIs
https://blogs.msdn.com/b/webdav_101/archive/2015/08/07/about-messaging-apis.aspx