How to verify the Intelligent Message Filter SCL rating in Outlook 2003 and Outlook 2007

The Microsoft Exchange Server Intelligent Message Filter (IMF) evaluates incoming messages for recognizable patterns. Then, the IMF assigns a spam confidence level (SCL) rating to the message. This rating is based on the probability that the message is unsolicited commercial e-mail ("spam"). This SCL rating is used to determine how the Exchange IMF handles messages.

Sometimes you may have to know whether the IMF works by checking the SCL rating of incoming messages. This article describes how to verify IMF functions by checking messages' SCL rating values in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 and in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007. This article discusses the following topics:

• How to install the SCL Extension Form in Outlook 2003 and in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007
• How to add the SCL rating field into the column header of Outlook folders

How to install the SCL Extension Form in Outlook 2003

To read the SCL rating from messages in Outlook 2003, install the SCL extension Form first. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open Notepad. To do this, click Start, click Run, type notepad.exe, and then click OK.
2. Copy and then paste the following text into Notepad.

   [Description]
   MessageClass=IPM.Note
   CLSID={00020D31-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
   DisplayName=SCL Extension Form
   Category=Standard
   Subcategory=Form
   Comment=This forms allows the SCL to be viewed as a column
   LargeIcon=IPML.ico
   SmallIcon=IPMS.ico
   Version=1.0
   Locale=enu
   Hidden=1
   Owner=Microsoft Corporation
   Contact=Your Name
   [Platforms]
   Platform1=Win16
   Platform2=NTx86
   Platform9=Win95
   [Platform.Win16]
   CPU=ix86
   OSVersion=Win3.1
   [Platform.NTx86]
   CPU=ix86
   OSVersion=WinNT3.5
   [Platform.Win95]
   CPU=ix86
   OSVersion=Win95
   [Properties]
   Property01=SCL
   [Property.SCL]
   Type=3
   NmidInteger=0x4076
   DisplayName=SCL
   [Verbs]
   Verb1=1
   [Verb.1]
   DisplayName=&Open
   Code=0
   Flags=0
   Attribs=2
   [Extensions]
   Extensions1=1
   [Extension.1]
   Type=30
   NmidPropset={00020D0C-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
   NmidInteger=1
   Value=1000000000000000

3. Save this text file as Scl.cfg, and then exit Notepad.
4. Save the Scl.cfg file to the following location:
   \Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\FORMS\1033
5. Start Outlook 2003 by using a profile that is configured for the mailbox on the server that is running Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 together with IMF.
6. On the Tools menu, click Options.
7. On the Other tab, click Advanced Options.
8. In the Advanced Options dialog box, click Custom Forms.
9. In the Options dialog box, click Manage Forms.
10. In the Forms Manager dialog box, click Install.
11. Locate the Scl.cfg file. Then, click OK to confirm that the file was installed. If you successfully installed it, the SCL Extension Form item is listed in the Personal Forms library.

How to add the SCL rating field into the column header of Outlook folders

After you install the SCL extension Form, you still will not see the messages' SCL rating values right away. You have to add the SCL rating field to the column header. When you do this, you can automatically check the messages' SCL rating values that are listed in the SCL column in Outlook 2003.

To add the SCL rating field, follow these steps:

1. In Outlook 2003, click Inbox.
2. On the View menu, click Arrange By, and then click Custom.
3. In the Customize View: Messages dialog box, click Fields.
4. In the Show Fields dialog box, click the Select available fields from list, and then click Forms.
5. In the Select Enterprise forms for this folder dialog box, click Personal Forms on the list.
6. Locate SCL Extension From in the left pane, and then click Add to add it to the right pane. Click Close.
7. In the Show Fields dialog box, locate the SCL in the left pane, and then click Add to add it to the right pane.
8. Click OK two times.
9. In the Inbox, you will see a new column that is named SCL in the column header. All the messages in the Inbox show their SCL rating values under the SCL column.

Note You can also use this procedure in folders that are separate from the Inbox to check the SCL rating values for the messages in these folders.

Alternative method to view the SCL Rating in Microsoft Office Outlook 2007

1. Start Outlook 2007.
2. Click Tools, point to Macro, and then click Security.
3. Select the Warnings for all macros option, and then click OK.
4. Restart Outlook 2007.
5. Click Tools, point to Macro, and then click Visual Basic Editor.
6. In the Visual Basic Editor, click Module on the Insert menu.
7. Enter the following code.

   Sub getSCL()
       Dim inbox As Outlook.Folder
       Set inbox = Outlook.ActiveExplorer.CurrentFolder
       Dim items As Outlook.items
       Dim item As Object
       Dim mail As Outlook.MailItem
       Dim sclProp As Outlook.UserProperty
       Dim strSCL As String
       Set items = inbox.items
       On Error Resume Next
       'should it encounter an error, it will proceed to the next item.
       For Each item In items
           If item.Class = olMail Then
               Set mail = item
               Set sclProp = mail.UserProperties.Add("SCL Rating", olText, True)
               'creates a user property called “SCL Rating” and adds the property to the folder.
               strSCL = mail.PropertyAccessor.GetProperty("http://schemas.microsoft.com/mapi/proptag/0x40760003")
               'schema value for PR_CONTENT_FILTER_SCL
               sclProp.Value = strSCL
               mail.Save
               'saves the prop to the mail item
           End If
       Next
       Set sclProp = Nothing
   End Sub
   

8. Name the module Get_SCL.
9. On the File menu, click Save Project1 in order to save the project as VbaProject.OTM.
10. On the File menu, click Close and Return to Microsoft Office Outlook.
11. In Outlook 2007, right-click the toolbar, and then click Customize.
12. On the Commands tab, click Macros in the Categories list.
    
    Note You will see the module that you created in step 6 in the Commands list.
13. Drag the module to the toolbar.
14. Right-click the new command on the toolbar, and then name the command Get_SCL.
15. Click the mail folder in which you want to check the SCL rating of the e-mail messages, and then click the Get_SCL command.
    
    Note You can see the SCL rating for each e-mail message in the mail folder's table view.
    
    Note To see the SCL rating for each e-mail message, add a field to the mail folder's table view to display the SCL rating. To do this, follow these steps:
    1. On the View menu, point to Current View, and then click Customize Current View.
    2. In the Customize View: Messages dialog box, click Fields.
    3. In the Select available fields from list, click User-defined fields in Inbox, click SCL Rating in the Categories list, click Add, and then click OK two times.

For more information about Exchange Intelligent Message Filter, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: