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Creating a sender domain auto reply rule for a mailbox with EWS and Powershell

This is a rewrite of an old CDO 1.2 rule.dll script back from 2006 http://gsexdev.blogspot.com.au/2006/10/creating-domain-based-auto-response.html .

Creating a Domain based auto response rule allows you to have a custom auto-responder for an email based on the sender's email domain of any newly received email messages. This is useful when you need to cater for a number of different scenarios and where you want to add a more personal touch to these auto responders. 

EWS allows you to create Inbox rules via the CreateRule Operation if your after the full spiel have a read of http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/exchange/hh298418%28v=exchg.140%29.aspx

In this script it first uses a ContainsSenderStrings condition to filter on the domain you want the rule to apply to in my example yahoo.com

$nrNewInboxRule.Conditions.ContainsSenderStrings.Add("@yahoo.com")

Exceptions are created for any messages with subject prefixes of RE and FW to omit these messages from an Auto-Response.

$nrNewInboxRule.Exceptions.ContainsSubjectStrings.Add("RE:");
$nrNewInboxRule.Exceptions.ContainsSubjectStrings.Add("FW:")

The script also creates the auto response message which is a message that is saved in the Assoicated Items collection of the Inbox with a message class of "IPM.Note.Rules.ReplyTemplate.Microsoft". One important thing is to set the PidTagReplyTemplateId property on the Template messages as per http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff367988%28v=EXCHG.80%29.aspx 

I've put a download of this script here the script itself looks like

  1. ## Get the Mailbox to Access from the 1st commandline argument  
  2.   
  3. $MailboxName = $args[0]  
  4.   
  5. ## Load Managed API dll    
  6. Add-Type -Path "C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange\Web Services\1.2\Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.dll"    
  7.     
  8. ## Set Exchange Version    
  9. $ExchangeVersion = [Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeVersion]::Exchange2010_SP2    
  10.     
  11. ## Create Exchange Service Object    
  12. $service = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeService($ExchangeVersion)    
  13.     
  14. ## Set Credentials to use two options are availible Option1 to use explict credentials or Option 2 use the Default (logged On) credentials    
  15.     
  16. #Credentials Option 1 using UPN for the windows Account    
  17. $psCred = Get-Credential    
  18. $creds = New-Object System.Net.NetworkCredential($psCred.UserName.ToString(),$psCred.GetNetworkCredential().password.ToString())    
  19. $service.Credentials = $creds        
  20.     
  21. #Credentials Option 2    
  22. #service.UseDefaultCredentials = $true    
  23.     
  24. ## Choose to ignore any SSL Warning issues caused by Self Signed Certificates    
  25.     
  26. ## Code From http://poshcode.org/624  
  27. ## Create a compilation environment  
  28. $Provider=New-Object Microsoft.CSharp.CSharpCodeProvider  
  29. $Compiler=$Provider.CreateCompiler()  
  30. $Params=New-Object System.CodeDom.Compiler.CompilerParameters  
  31. $Params.GenerateExecutable=$False  
  32. $Params.GenerateInMemory=$True  
  33. $Params.IncludeDebugInformation=$False  
  34. $Params.ReferencedAssemblies.Add("System.DLL") | Out-Null  
  35.   
  36. $TASource=@' 
  37.   namespace Local.ToolkitExtensions.Net.CertificatePolicy{ 
  38.     public class TrustAll : System.Net.ICertificatePolicy { 
  39.       public TrustAll() {  
  40.       } 
  41.       public bool CheckValidationResult(System.Net.ServicePoint sp, 
  42.         System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509Certificate cert,  
  43.         System.Net.WebRequest req, int problem) { 
  44.         return true; 
  45.       } 
  46.     } 
  47.   } 
  48. '@   
  49. $TAResults=$Provider.CompileAssemblyFromSource($Params,$TASource)  
  50. $TAAssembly=$TAResults.CompiledAssembly  
  51.   
  52. ## We now create an instance of the TrustAll and attach it to the ServicePointManager  
  53. $TrustAll=$TAAssembly.CreateInstance("Local.ToolkitExtensions.Net.CertificatePolicy.TrustAll")  
  54. [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::CertificatePolicy=$TrustAll  
  55.   
  56. ## end code from http://poshcode.org/624  
  57.     
  58. ## Set the URL of the CAS (Client Access Server) to use two options are availbe to use Autodiscover to find the CAS URL or Hardcode the CAS to use    
  59.     
  60. #CAS URL Option 1 Autodiscover    
  61. $service.AutodiscoverUrl($MailboxName,{$true})    
  62. "Using CAS Server : " + $Service.url     
  63.      
  64. #CAS URL Option 2 Hardcoded    
  65.     
  66. #$uri=[system.URI] "https://casservername/ews/exchange.asmx"    
  67. #$service.Url = $uri      
  68.     
  69. ## Optional section for Exchange Impersonation    
  70.     
  71. #$service.ImpersonatedUserId = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ImpersonatedUserId([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ConnectingIdType]::SmtpAddress, $MailboxName)   
  72.   
  73. $tmTemplateEmail = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.EmailMessage -ArgumentList $service  
  74. $tmTemplateEmail.ItemClass = "IPM.Note.Rules.ReplyTemplate.Microsoft";  
  75. $tmTemplateEmail.IsAssociated = $true;  
  76. $tmTemplateEmail.Subject = "Recipient of your Email action required";  
  77. $htmlBodyString = "Hello,<p>Thanks for your Email we only answer emails enqiures from coperates email domains";  
  78. $tmTemplateEmail.Body = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MessageBody($htmlBodyString);  
  79. $PidTagReplyTemplateId = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExtendedPropertyDefinition(0x65C2, [Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MapiPropertyType]::Binary)  
  80. $tmTemplateEmail.SetExtendedProperty($PidTagReplyTemplateId, [System.Guid]::NewGuid().ToByteArray());  
  81. $tmTemplateEmail.Save([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.WellKnownFolderName]::Inbox);  
  82. $nrNewInboxRule = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.Rule   
  83. $nrNewInboxRule.DisplayName = "Auto Reply Rule";  
  84. $nrNewInboxRule.Conditions.ContainsSenderStrings.Add("@yahoo.com")  
  85. $nrNewInboxRule.Actions.ServerReplyWithMessage = $tmTemplateEmail.Id;  
  86. $nrNewInboxRule.Exceptions.ContainsSubjectStrings.Add("RE:");  
  87. $nrNewInboxRule.Exceptions.ContainsSubjectStrings.Add("FW:");  
  88. $cnCreateNewRule = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.createRuleOperation[] 1  
  89. $cnCreateNewRule[0] = $nrNewInboxRule  
  90. $service.UpdateInboxRules($cnCreateNewRule,$true);

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All sample scripts and source code is provided by for illustrative purposes only. All examples are untested in different environments and therefore, I cannot guarantee or imply reliability, serviceability, or function of these programs.

All code contained herein is provided to you "AS IS" without any warranties of any kind. The implied warranties of non-infringement, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose are expressly disclaimed.