Removing attachments of a specific type with EWS and Powershell

Sometimes particular attachments can create different issues for a number of different reasons so you might find you want to get rid of all those attachments without removing the messages they are attached to. If you find yourself in this situation then this is the sample for you.

Firstly to find the attachments of a specific type we use the following AQS query

System.Message.AttachmentContents:.pdf

This acts as a first level filter but it will give a few false positives so a second client level check of the actual Attachment file name is needed.

foreach ($Attachment in $Item.Attachments)
{
if($Attachment -is [Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.FileAttachment]){
if($Attachment.Name.Contains(".pdf")){
}
}
}

The following script can be run in one of two modes , Report will just report on attachments that are found in a particular folder and Delete will delete attachments from messages within that folder. I've put a download of this script here the code itself looks like.

$RunMode = Read-Host "Enter Mode for Script (Report or Delete)"
switch($RunMode){
"Report" {$runokay = $true
"Report Mode Detected"
}
"Delete" {$runokay = $true
"Delete Mode Detected"
}
default {$runOkay = $false
"Invalid Reponse you need to type Report or Delete"
}
}
if($runokay){
## Get the Mailbox to Access from the 1st commandline argument
$MailboxName = (Read-Host "Enter mailbox to run it against(email address)" )
$rptcollection = @()
## Load Managed API dll
Add-Type -Path "C:\Program Files\Microsoft\Exchange\Web Services\1.2\Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.dll"
[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.Drawing")
[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.windows.forms")
## Set Exchange Version
$ExchangeVersion = [Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeVersion]::Exchange2010_SP2
## Create Exchange Service Object
$service = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExchangeService($ExchangeVersion)
## Set Credentials to use two options are availible Option1 to use explict credentials or Option 2 use the Default (logged On) credentials
#Credentials Option 1 using UPN for the windows Account
$psCred = Get-Credential
$creds = New-Object System.Net.NetworkCredential($psCred.UserName.ToString(),$psCred.GetNetworkCredential().password.ToString())
$service.Credentials = $creds
#Credentials Option 2
#service.UseDefaultCredentials = $true
## Choose to ignore any SSL Warning issues caused by Self Signed Certificates
## Code From http://poshcode.org/624
## Create a compilation environment
$Provider=New-Object Microsoft.CSharp.CSharpCodeProvider
$Compiler=$Provider.CreateCompiler()
$Params=New-Object System.CodeDom.Compiler.CompilerParameters
$Params.GenerateExecutable=$False
$Params.GenerateInMemory=$True
$Params.IncludeDebugInformation=$False
$Params.ReferencedAssemblies.Add("System.DLL") | Out-Null
$TASource=@'
namespace Local.ToolkitExtensions.Net.CertificatePolicy{
public class TrustAll : System.Net.ICertificatePolicy {
public TrustAll() {
}
public bool CheckValidationResult(System.Net.ServicePoint sp,
System.Security.Cryptography.X509Certificates.X509Certificate cert,
System.Net.WebRequest req, int problem) {
return true;
}
}
}
'@
$TAResults=$Provider.CompileAssemblyFromSource($Params,$TASource)
$TAAssembly=$TAResults.CompiledAssembly
## We now create an instance of the TrustAll and attach it to the ServicePointManager
$TrustAll=$TAAssembly.CreateInstance("Local.ToolkitExtensions.Net.CertificatePolicy.TrustAll")
[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::CertificatePolicy=$TrustAll
## end code from http://poshcode.org/624
## 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
#CAS URL Option 1 Autodiscover
$service.AutodiscoverUrl($MailboxName,{$true})
"Using CAS Server : " + $Service.url
#CAS URL Option 2 Hardcoded
#$uri=[system.URI] "https://casservername/ews/exchange.asmx"
#$service.Url = $uri
## Optional section for Exchange Impersonation
#$service.ImpersonatedUserId = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ImpersonatedUserId([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ConnectingIdType]::SmtpAddress, $MailboxName)
$PR_FOLDER_TYPE = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExtendedPropertyDefinition(13825,[Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MapiPropertyType]::Integer);
$folderidcnt = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.FolderId([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.WellKnownFolderName]::MsgFolderRoot,$MailboxName)
# Bind to the Contacts Folder
$rfRootFolder = [Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.Folder]::Bind($service,$folderidcnt)
#Define the FolderView used for Export should not be any larger then 1000 folders due to throttling
$fvFolderView = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.FolderView(1000)
#Deep Transval will ensure all folders in the search path are returned
$fvFolderView.Traversal = [Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.FolderTraversal]::Deep;
$psPropertySet = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.PropertySet([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.BasePropertySet]::FirstClassProperties)
$PR_Folder_Path = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ExtendedPropertyDefinition(26293, [Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.MapiPropertyType]::String);
#Add Properties to the Property Set
$psPropertySet.Add($PR_Folder_Path);
$fvFolderView.PropertySet = $psPropertySet;
#The Search filter will exclude any Search Folders
$sfSearchFilter = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.SearchFilter+IsEqualTo($PR_FOLDER_TYPE,"1")
$fiResult = $null
#
$Treeinfo = @{}
$TNRoot = new-object System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode("Root")
$TNRoot.Name = "Mailbox"
$TNRoot.Text = "Mailbox - " + $MailboxName
#The Do loop will handle any paging that is required if there are more the 1000 folders in a mailbox
do {
$fiResult = $Service.FindFolders($folderidcnt,$sfSearchFilter,$fvFolderView)
foreach($ffFolder in $fiResult.Folders){
#Process folder here
$TNChild = new-object System.Windows.Forms.TreeNode($ffFolder.DisplayName.ToString())
$TNChild.Name = $ffFolder.DisplayName.ToString()
$TNChild.Text = $ffFolder.DisplayName.ToString()
$TNChild.tag = $ffFolder.Id.UniqueId.ToString()
if ($ffFolder.ParentFolderId.UniqueId -eq $rfRootFolder.Id.UniqueId ){
$ffFolder.DisplayName
[void]$TNRoot.Nodes.Add($TNChild)
$Treeinfo.Add($ffFolder.Id.UniqueId.ToString(),$TNChild)
}
else{
$pfFolder = $Treeinfo[$ffFolder.ParentFolderId.UniqueId.ToString()]
[void]$pfFolder.Nodes.Add($TNChild)
if ($Treeinfo.ContainsKey($ffFolder.Id.UniqueId.ToString()) -eq $false){
$Treeinfo.Add($ffFolder.Id.UniqueId.ToString(),$TNChild)
}
}
}
$fvFolderView.Offset += $fiResult.Folders.Count
}while($fiResult.MoreAvailable -eq $true)
$Script:clickedFolder = $null
$objForm = New-Object System.Windows.Forms.Form
$objForm.Text = "Folder Select Form"
$objForm.Size = New-Object System.Drawing.Size(600,600)
$objForm.StartPosition = "CenterScreen"
$tvTreView1 = new-object System.Windows.Forms.TreeView
$tvTreView1.Location = new-object System.Drawing.Size(1,1)
$tvTreView1.add_DoubleClick({
$Script:clickedFolder = $this.SelectedNode.tag
$objForm.Close()
})
$tvTreView1.size = new-object System.Drawing.Size(580,580)
$tvTreView1.Anchor = "Top,left,Bottom"
[void]$tvTreView1.Nodes.Add($TNRoot)
$objForm.controls.add($tvTreView1)
$objForm.ShowDialog()
$clickedfolderid = new-object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.FolderId($Script:clickedFolder)
#Define Attachment Contet To Search for
$AttachmentContent = ".pdf"
$AQSString = "System.Message.AttachmentContents:$AttachmentContent"
#Define ItemView to retrive just 1000 Items
$ivItemView = New-Object Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ItemView(1000)
$fiItems = $null
do{
$fiItems = $service.FindItems($clickedfolderid,$AQSString,$ivItemView)
#[Void]$service.LoadPropertiesForItems($fiItems,$psPropset)
foreach($Item in $fiItems.Items){
$Item.Load()
$attachtoDelete = @()
foreach ($Attachment in $Item.Attachments)
{
if($Attachment -is [Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.FileAttachment]){
if($Attachment.Name.Contains(".pdf")){
if($RunMode -eq "Report"){
$rptObj = "" | Select DateTimeReceived,Subject,AttachmentName,Size
$rptObj.DateTimeReceived = $Item.DateTimeReceived
$rptObj.Subject = $Item.Subject
$rptObj.AttachmentName = $Attachment.Name
$rptObj.Size = $Attachment.Size
$rptcollection += $rptObj
}
$Attachment.Name
if($RunMode -eq "Delete"){
$attachtoDelete += $Attachment
}
}
}
}
$updateItem = $false
foreach($AttachmentToDelete in $attachtoDelete){
if($RunMode -eq "Delete"){
$Item.Attachments.Remove($AttachmentToDelete)
$updateItem = $true
}
}
if($updateItem){$Item.Update([Microsoft.Exchange.WebServices.Data.ConflictResolutionMode]::AlwaysOverWrite)};
}
$ivItemView.Offset += $fiItems.Items.Count
}while($fiItems.MoreAvailable -eq $true)
if($RunMode -eq "Report"){
$rptcollection | Export-Csv -Path c:\temp\$MailboxName-AttachmentReport.csv -NoTypeInformation
}
}

Exporting and Uploading Mailbox Items using Exchange Web Services using the new ExportItems and UploadItems operations in Exchange 2010 SP1

Two new EWS Operations ExportItems and UploadItems where introduced in Exchange 2010 SP1 that allowed you to do a number of useful things that where previously not possible using Exchange Web Services. Any object that Exchange stores is basically a collection of properties for example a message object is a collection of Message properties, Recipient properties and Attachment properties with a few meta properties that describe the underlying storage thrown in. Normally when using EWS you can access these properties in a number of a ways eg one example is using the strongly type objects such as emailmessage that presents the underlying properties in an intuitive way that's easy to use. Another way is using Extended Properties to access the underlying properties directly. However previously in EWS there was no method to access every property of a message hence there is no way to export or import an item and maintain full fidelity of every property on that item (you could export the...

Glen's Exchange and Office 365 Dev Blog

Search This Blog

Removing attachments of a specific type with EWS and Powershell

Labels

Popular posts from this blog

The MailboxConcurrency limit and using Batching in the Microsoft Graph API

Exporting and Uploading Mailbox Items using Exchange Web Services using the new ExportItems and UploadItems operations in Exchange 2010 SP1

Sending a Message in Exchange Online via REST from an Arduino MKR1000