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.NET Development
.NET Framework 3.5
MailMessage Class
This page is specific to
Microsoft Visual Studio 2008/.NET Framework 3.5

Other versions are also available for the following:
.NET Framework Class Library
MailMessage Class

Updated: November 2007

Represents an e-mail message that can be sent using the SmtpClient class.

Namespace:  System.Net.Mail
Assembly:  System (in System.dll)

Visual Basic (Declaration)
Public Class MailMessage _
    Implements IDisposable
Visual Basic (Usage)
Dim instance As MailMessage
C#
public class MailMessage : IDisposable
Visual C++
public ref class MailMessage : IDisposable
J#
public class MailMessage implements IDisposable
JScript
public class MailMessage implements IDisposable

Instances of the MailMessage class are used to construct e-mail messages that are transmitted to an SMTP server for delivery using the SmtpClient class.

To specify the sender, recipient, and contents of an e-mail message, use the associated properties of the MailMessage class.

Mail part

Property

Sender

From

Recipient

To

Carbon copies (CC)

CC

Blind carbon copies (BCC)

Bcc

Attachments

Attachments

Subject

Subject

Message body

Body

Use the AlternateViews property to specify copies of an e-mail message in different formats. For example, if you send a message in HTML, you might also want to provide a plain text version in case some of the recipients use e-mail readers that cannot display HTML content. For an example that demonstrates creating a message with alternate views, see AlternateViews.

After assembling your e-mail message, you can send it by using the Send or SendAsync methods.

The following code example demonstrates creating and sending an e-mail message that includes an attachment.

C#
        public static void CreateMessageWithAttachment(string server)
        {
            // Specify the file to be attached and sent.
            // This example assumes that a file named Data.xls exists in the
            // current working directory.
            string file = "data.xls";
            // Create a message and set up the recipients.
            MailMessage message = new MailMessage(
               "jane@contoso.com",
               "ben@contoso.com",
               "Quarterly data report.",
               "See the attached spreadsheet.");

            // Create  the file attachment for this e-mail message.
            Attachment data = new Attachment(file, MediaTypeNames.Application.Octet);
            // Add time stamp information for the file.
            ContentDisposition disposition = data.ContentDisposition;
            disposition.CreationDate = System.IO.File.GetCreationTime(file);
            disposition.ModificationDate = System.IO.File.GetLastWriteTime(file);
            disposition.ReadDate = System.IO.File.GetLastAccessTime(file);
            // Add the file attachment to this e-mail message.
            message.Attachments.Add(data);
            //Send the message.
            SmtpClient client = new SmtpClient(server);
            // Add credentials if the SMTP server requires them.
            client.Credentials = CredentialCache.DefaultNetworkCredentials;
            client.Send(message);
            // Display the values in the ContentDisposition for the attachment.
            ContentDisposition cd = data.ContentDisposition;
            Console.WriteLine("Content disposition");
            Console.WriteLine(cd.ToString());
            Console.WriteLine("File {0}", cd.FileName);
            Console.WriteLine("Size {0}", cd.Size);
            Console.WriteLine("Creation {0}", cd.CreationDate);
            Console.WriteLine("Modification {0}", cd.ModificationDate);
            Console.WriteLine("Read {0}", cd.ReadDate);
            Console.WriteLine("Inline {0}", cd.Inline);
            Console.WriteLine("Parameters: {0}", cd.Parameters.Count);
            foreach (DictionaryEntry d in cd.Parameters)
            {
                Console.WriteLine("{0} = {1}", d.Key, d.Value);
            }
            data.Dispose();
        }

Visual C++
static void CreateMessageWithAttachment( String^ server )
{

   // Specify the file to be attached and sent.
   // This example assumes that a file named Data.xls exists in the
   // current working directory.
   String^ file = L"data.xls";

   // Create a message and set up the recipients.
   MailMessage^ message = gcnew MailMessage( L"jane@contoso.com",L"ben@contoso.com",L"Quarterly data report.",L"See the attached spreadsheet." );

   // Create  the file attachment for this e-mail message.
   Attachment^ data = gcnew Attachment(file, MediaTypeNames::Application::Octet);

   // Add time stamp information for the file.
   ContentDisposition^ disposition = data->ContentDisposition;
   disposition->CreationDate = System::IO::File::GetCreationTime( file );
   disposition->ModificationDate = System::IO::File::GetLastWriteTime( file );
   disposition->ReadDate = System::IO::File::GetLastAccessTime( file );

   // Add the file attachment to this e-mail message.
   message->Attachments->Add( data );

   //Send the message.
   SmtpClient^ client = gcnew SmtpClient( server );

   // Add credentials if the SMTP server requires them.
   client->Credentials = CredentialCache::DefaultNetworkCredentials;
   client->Send( message );

   // Display the values in the ContentDisposition for the attachment.
   ContentDisposition^ cd = data->ContentDisposition;
   Console::WriteLine( L"Content disposition" );
   Console::WriteLine( cd );
   Console::WriteLine( L"File {0}", cd->FileName );
   Console::WriteLine( L"Size {0}", cd->Size );
   Console::WriteLine( L"Creation {0}", cd->CreationDate );
   Console::WriteLine( L"Modification {0}", cd->ModificationDate );
   Console::WriteLine( L"Read {0}", cd->ReadDate );
   Console::WriteLine( L"Inline {0}", cd->Inline );
   Console::WriteLine( L"Parameters: {0}", cd->Parameters->Count );
   IEnumerator^ myEnum1 = cd->Parameters->GetEnumerator();
   while ( myEnum1->MoveNext() )
   {
      DictionaryEntry^ d = safe_cast<DictionaryEntry^>(myEnum1->Current);
      Console::WriteLine( L"{0} = {1}", d->Key, d->Value );
   }

   data->~Attachment();
   client->~SmtpClient();
}



J#
public static void CreateMessageWithAttachment(String server)
{
    // Specify the file to be attached and sent.
    // This example assumes that a file named Data.xls exists in the
    // current working directory.
    String file = "data.xls";
    // Create a message and set up the recipients.
    MailMessage message = new MailMessage("jane@contoso.com", 
        "ben@contoso.com", "Quarterly data report.", 
        "See the attached spreadsheet.");
    // Create  the file attachment for this e-mail message.
    Attachment data = new Attachment(file, MediaTypeNames.Application.Octet);
    // Add time stamp information for the file.
    ContentDisposition disposition = data.get_ContentDisposition();
    disposition.set_CreationDate(System.IO.File.GetCreationTime(file));
    disposition.set_ModificationDate(System.IO.File.GetLastWriteTime(file));
    disposition.set_ReadDate(System.IO.File.GetLastAccessTime(file));
    // Add the file attachment to this e-mail message.
    message.get_Attachments().Add(data);
    //Send the message.
    SmtpClient client = new SmtpClient(server);
    // Add credentials if the SMTP server requires them.
    client.set_Credentials(CredentialCache.get_DefaultNetworkCredentials());
    client.Send(message);
    // Display the values in the ContentDisposition for the attachment.
    ContentDisposition cd = data.get_ContentDisposition();
    Console.WriteLine("Content disposition");
    Console.WriteLine(cd.ToString());
    Console.WriteLine("File {0}", cd.get_FileName());
    Console.WriteLine("Size {0}", System.Convert.ToString(cd.get_Size()));
    Console.WriteLine("Creation {0}", cd.get_CreationDate());
    Console.WriteLine("Modification {0}", cd.get_ModificationDate());
    Console.WriteLine("Read {0}", cd.get_ReadDate());
    Console.WriteLine("Inline {0}", 
        System.Convert.ToString(cd.get_Inline()));
    Console.WriteLine("Parameters: {0}", 
        System.Convert.ToString(cd.get_Parameters().get_Count()));
    IEnumerator myEnumerable = (IEnumerator)cd.get_Parameters().
        GetEnumerator();
    while (myEnumerable.MoveNext()) {
        DictionaryEntry d = (DictionaryEntry)myEnumerable.get_Current();
        Console.WriteLine("{0} = {1}", d.get_Key(), d.get_Value());
    }
    data.Dispose();
} //CreateMessageWithAttachment

System..::.Object
  System.Net.Mail..::.MailMessage
Any public static (Shared in Visual Basic) members of this type are thread safe. Any instance members are not guaranteed to be thread safe.

Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Windows XP Media Center Edition, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, Windows XP Starter Edition, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000 SP4, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows 98

The .NET Framework and .NET Compact Framework do not support all versions of every platform. For a list of the supported versions, see .NET Framework System Requirements.

.NET Framework

Supported in: 3.5, 3.0, 2.0
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Add new content RSS  Annotations
What? No VB Example for class?      Food Fan ... Noelle Mallory - MSFT   |   Edit   |  
Would be nice to have a VB example for this article.
Carboncopy field      jmaciak   |   Edit   |  
Just a slight note ... the Carbon copy field is not CC as mentioned, but Cc
Authenticate      Ople ... BigGeek02   |   Edit   |  

And what about authentication with the smtp server?

See the SmtpClient class. That controls credentials.

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VB Examples      RSendek ... Thomas Lee   |   Edit   |  
I agree with above comments. Why general lack of VB examples for .Net 3.5?
Where is the VB example?      mhh12   |   Edit   |  

Where is the VB example? If you are tryingl to discourage the use of VB, just say so. Grow up and say what you mean.

Mark H.

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