ACCESSING DIFFERENT TYPES OF ELECTRONIC MESSAGES THROUGH A COMMON MESSAGING INTERFACE

摘要

The present invention extends to methods, systems, computer program products, and data structures for presenting different types of electronic messages at a common interface. Electronic message items (116) are stored in an item database (114) along with other types of items, such as, for example, contact items, folder items, document items, etc. Electronic message items have some common define d data holds and possibly other differently defined data fields that represent protocol and/or application specific properties. Computer systems can query (107) the item database (114) for message related data (e.g., from commonly defined data fields) and display links to message related data at a common messaging interface. Links to different types of electronic messages (as represented by protocol and/or application specific properties) may be displayed simultaneously at the common messaging interface.