Installing a CE MAPI filter

We all know how this is done, right? We start by installing the CE MAPI filter DLL on the device (must be signed for WM5 devices), we register it and we restart the messaging application. Hum... How do we restart the messaging application? My approach (and I have to say it is not only my approach because I see it a lot) is to soft-reset the device. Not bad for a Pocket PC 2003, but a nuisance for a WM5 device - it just takes too long to reboot. Needless to say, this approach is a nightmare for developers trying to debug a CE MAPI filter DLL: you have to restart the device twice for each deployment (registering and unregistering the DLL).

There is a better way, though: the messaging application can be closed with a simple WM_CLOSE message sent to the right window. To find that window, use the FindWindow API with the "Inbox.MainWnd" class name. Once you close the messaging application, you can register and unregister the DLL without resetting the device. Nice.