Convert HTML String to Email with Embedded Images

Converts an HTML string into an email with embedded images and sends. The HTML image may contain IMG tags with SRC attributes referencing images on the local filesystem or on the Web. The MHT component will gather all referenced images, style sheets, etc. regardless of whether they are located on the filesystem or the Web via an http or https URL.

Download Chilkat Email ActiveX for POP3 / SMTP

Download Chilkat IMAP ActiveX

Download Chilkat MHT ActiveX

CREATE PROCEDURE ChilkatSample
AS
BEGIN
DECLARE @hr int
DECLARE @sTmp0 nvarchar(4000)
-- The mailman object is used for receiving (POP3)
-- and sending (SMTP) email.
DECLARE @mailman int
EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.MailMan2', @mailman OUT
IF @hr <> 0
BEGIN
PRINT 'Failed to create ActiveX component'
RETURN
END

-- The MHT component can be used to convert an HTML page
-- from a URL, file, or in-memory HTML into an email
-- with embedded images and style sheets.
DECLARE @mht int
EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.Mht', @mht OUT
IF @hr <> 0
BEGIN
PRINT 'Failed to create ActiveX component'
RETURN
END

-- Any string argument automatically begins the 30-day trial.
DECLARE @success int

EXEC sp_OAMethod @mailman, 'UnlockComponent', @success OUT, '30-day trial'
IF @success <> 1
BEGIN
PRINT 'MailMan component unlock failed'
RETURN
END

EXEC sp_OAMethod @mht, 'UnlockComponent', @success OUT, '30-day trial'
IF @success <> 1
BEGIN
PRINT 'Mht component unlock failed'
RETURN
END

-- There are two ways of embedding images in emails: with CIDs
-- and without. When using CIDs, the IMG SRC attributes use
-- urls that begin with "CID:" and the corresponding image
-- embedded within the email includes a Content-ID header field.
-- When not using CIDs, the IMG SRC attribute can have a URL,
-- path, etc. and the corresponding image embedded within
-- the email has a matching Content-Location header field.

-- When testing with GMail, if CIDs are used the email will
-- be displayed with images blocked (by default) unless
-- the user allows them to be displayed. Without CIDs,
-- the images are automatically displayed.

-- When testing with Eudora, Mozilla Thunderbird, and Outlook Express,
-- embedded images display correctly with our without CIDs.

-- When testing with Yahoo! Mail, embedded images display OK.
-- However, the Yahoo! Mail user has the option of blocking
-- images. If this is turned on, the CID images will still
-- display correctly even though images are blocked. Why?
-- It's because when viewing the email there is no external
-- HTTP request to fetch an image. Therefore, a spammer
-- cannot get an indication that you've read the email.
-- However, if CIDs are not used, the images are blocked by
-- any Yahoo! Mail user that has image blocking turned on --
-- even though the images are embedded.

-- I haven't tested Hotmail yet...
-- Regardless, there is no perfect solution. If CIDs are used,
-- GMail users may block your embedded images, if CIDs are not
-- used, Yahoo! Mail users may block your embedded images.

-- I recommend setting using CIDs. This is what Mozilla Thunderbird
-- does by default, and it's the more clear an unambiguous way
-- to indicate that images are indeed embedded.
EXEC sp_OASetProperty @mht, 'UseCids', 1

-- Create an email from an HTML file.
-- Call mht.HtmlToEML to get the MIME source of an email,
-- then load it into an email object.
DECLARE @email int
EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat.Email2', @email OUT
IF @hr <> 0
BEGIN
PRINT 'Failed to create ActiveX component'
RETURN
END

DECLARE @mime nvarchar(4000)

EXEC sp_OAMethod @mht, 'HtmlToEML', @mime OUT, '<html><body><p><b>Test Email</b><br><img src="http://www.chilkatsoft.com/images/dude.gif"></body></html>'
EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'SetFromMimeText', NULL, @mime

EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email, 'Subject', 'Test HTML email'

-- This example is tested in:
-- Outlook 2000, Eudora 7, Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5.0.9, Outlook Express 6, GMail, Yahoo Mail
EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'AddTo', NULL, 'Chilkat Support', 'support@chilkatsoft.com'

-- Note: Chilkat does not regularly check our GMail and Yahoo
-- email accounts. Please send support email to support@chilkatsoft.com
EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'AddTo', NULL, 'Chilkat on Yahoo', 'chilkat_software@yahoo.com'
EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'AddTo', NULL, 'Chilkat on GMail', 'chilkat.support@gmail.com'

EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email, 'From', 'admin@chilkatsoft.com'

EXEC sp_OASetProperty @mailman, 'SmtpHost', 'smtp.comcast.net'

-- Send the email.
EXEC sp_OAMethod @mailman, 'SendEmail', @success OUT, @email
IF @success <> 1
BEGIN
EXEC sp_OAGetProperty @mailman, 'LastErrorText', @sTmp0 OUT
PRINT @sTmp0
RETURN
END

PRINT 'HTML Email Sent!'
END
GO

Need a specific example? Send a request to support@chilkatsoft.com