How Outlook show the Messenger Status?

Hello,
I have some questions about the messenger integration in Outlook:
-How Outlook detect the MSN Messenger status from an contact?
Send the Messenger some info to Outlook, ask Outlook the messenger about the status of a contact? Or how it works?

And it's possible to "catch" the event "Send a direct message" from Outlook too?

It would be nice if someone have some ideas or give me some infos where and what I should search for.

I ask this question because I want to write an an addon for an instant messenger which can handle the MSN-Protocol already, but I have not any idea how it works.

Peter

Messenger and Outlook can interact but I have never seen it in the ways that you want. Basically, the contacts can interact but in order to see who is online you will have to look at your messenger window.

No, I mean the following:
When I add an user who have an MSN adress to my outlook contacts I can see the status and I can open a message window with this contact. And I have no idea how this works.

Look here:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/ou...335511033.aspx
you can see the online status and chat with this contact, I want to implement this for another messenger which support the msn protocol.

Peter

Oh. I am sorry for the confusion. I have not had a chance to get acquainted with Outlook 2007. That is a nice new feature.

I post this link only to describe what I mean, it's not OL2007 specific, OL2003 have this feature too. (I guess 2002 too)