(SQL Server) Multipart/Alternative Email

It is very common for email to contain both plain-text and HTML alternative bodies. When a mail client such as Outlook, Eudora, or Thunderbird receives such an email, it will display one of the alternatives. The default is usually to display the HTML alternative. (In addition, the latest versions of email clients default to blocking HTML images from displaying for anti-SPAM reasons.) Emails with both plain-text and HTML alternative bodies are structured (in MIME) as multipart/alternative. The Chilkat Email component handles the MIME formatting of an email for you, so you don't have to worry about the details of the MIME composition. This example shows how to create an email with both plain-text and HTML alternative bodies.

Chilkat ActiveX Downloads

ActiveX for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows

// Important: See this note about string length limitations for strings returned by sp_OAMethod calls.
//
CREATE PROCEDURE ChilkatSample
AS
BEGIN
    DECLARE @hr int
    DECLARE @iTmp0 int
    DECLARE @email int
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat_9_5_0.Email', @email OUT
    IF @hr <> 0
    BEGIN
        PRINT 'Failed to create ActiveX component'
        RETURN
    END

    -- First, add the typical header fields...
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email, 'Subject', 'This email has alternative bodies'
    DECLARE @success int
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'AddTo', @success OUT, 'Chilkat Support', 'support@chilkatsoft.com'
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email, 'From', 'Matt <matt@chilkatsoft.com>'

    -- Setting the Body property makes a text/plain email:
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email, 'Body', 'This is the plain-text body'

    -- At this point, our email is a simple plain/text email
    -- with no alternatives:
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'SaveEml', @success OUT, 'plainText.eml'

    -- Now add an HTML alternative:
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'AddHtmlAlternativeBody', @success OUT, '<html><body>This is the <b>HTML body</b></body></html>'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email, 'SaveEml', @success OUT, 'plainTextAndHtml.eml'

    -- To create an HTML-only email, do this:
    DECLARE @email2 int
    EXEC @hr = sp_OACreate 'Chilkat_9_5_0.Email', @email2 OUT

    -- First, add the typical header fields...
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email2, 'Subject', 'This email has alternative bodies'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email2, 'AddTo', @success OUT, 'Chilkat Support', 'support@chilkatsoft.com'
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email2, 'From', 'Matt <matt@chilkatsoft.com>'

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email2, 'SetHtmlBody', NULL, '<html><body>This is the <b>HTML body</b></body></html>'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email2, 'SaveEml', @success OUT, 'htmlOnly.eml'

    -- Add a plain-text alternative:
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email2, 'AddPlainTextAlternativeBody', @success OUT, 'This is the plain-text body'
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email2, 'SaveEml', @success OUT, 'plainTextAndHtml2.eml'

    -- To replace the plain-text alternative, just set the Body property:
    EXEC sp_OASetProperty @email2, 'Body', 'This is the new plain-text body'

    -- To replace the HTML alternative, call SetHtmlBody:
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email2, 'SetHtmlBody', NULL, '<html><body>This is the new HTML body...</body></html>'

    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email2, 'SaveEml', @success OUT, 'plainTextAndHtml2a.eml'

    -- To determine if an email has a particular alternative body,
    -- call HasPlainTextBody or HasHtmlBody:
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email2, 'HasPlainTextBody', @iTmp0 OUT
    IF @iTmp0 = 1
      BEGIN

        PRINT 'Has plain-text body!'
      END
    EXEC sp_OAMethod @email2, 'HasHtmlBody', @iTmp0 OUT
    IF @iTmp0 = 1
      BEGIN

        PRINT 'Has HTML body!'
      END

    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @email
    EXEC @hr = sp_OADestroy @email2


END
GO