1. IronPDF
  2. IronPDF Blog
  3. .NET Help
  4. Mailkit C#

Published January 5, 2024

Mailkit C# (How it Works For Developers)

In C# development, managing and manipulating different forms of data is essential. Two powerful tools that stand out in this regard are MailKit and IronPDF.

This tutorial is designed to guide beginners through the process of integrating these two technologies into a C# application, enabling robust email handling capabilities along with PDF generation and manipulation.

MailKit, a personal open-source project that has become an essential tool in .NET app development, supports sending and receiving emails through SMTP and IMAP protocols. It enables developers to interact with mail servers easily, send HTML emails, and manage security settings, proving crucial for .NET applications requiring email functionalities.

Mailkit C# (How it Works For Developers): Figure 1

IronPDF allows for generating, rendering, and manipulating PDF documents within .NET apps. It simplifies converting HTML templates to PDFs and creating intricate documents, making it an ideal tool for managing PDFs with web-based data.

Getting Started with MailKit

Introduction to MailKit in C#

MailKit is a comprehensive email framework greatly appreciated in the .NET community for its robust features. It simplifies tasks like sending and receiving emails in .NET applications, including .NET Core and .NET Framework projects.

Installing MailKit in Your Project

To start using MailKit in your application, you need to install the MailKit package. This can be done via NuGet, a package manager for .NET. Here's how you can do it:

  1. Open your C# project in Visual Studio.
  2. Navigate to the Solution Explorer, right-click on your project, and select 'Manage NuGet Packages.'
  3. Search for 'MailKit' in the NuGet Package Manager and install it.

Mailkit C# (How it Works For Developers): Figure 2

Setting Up MailKit for Email Operations

Once installed, you can begin setting up MailKit in your application. This involves configuring the SMTP server for sending emails and, optionally, the IMAP server for receiving emails. Here's a basic setup:

using MailKit.Net.Smtp;
using MimeKit;
public class EmailService
{
    public void SendEmail(string recipientAddress, string subject, string body)
    {
        var message = new MimeMessage();
        message.From.Add(new MailboxAddress("Your Name", "your@email.com"));
        message.To.Add(new MailboxAddress("", recipientAddress));
        message.Subject = subject;
        message.Body = new TextPart("plain")
        {
            Text = body
        };
        using (var client = new SmtpClient())
        {
            client.Connect("smtp.server.com", 587, false);
            client.Authenticate("your@email.com", "yourpassword");
            client.Send(message);
            client.Disconnect(true);
        }
    }
}
using MailKit.Net.Smtp;
using MimeKit;
public class EmailService
{
    public void SendEmail(string recipientAddress, string subject, string body)
    {
        var message = new MimeMessage();
        message.From.Add(new MailboxAddress("Your Name", "your@email.com"));
        message.To.Add(new MailboxAddress("", recipientAddress));
        message.Subject = subject;
        message.Body = new TextPart("plain")
        {
            Text = body
        };
        using (var client = new SmtpClient())
        {
            client.Connect("smtp.server.com", 587, false);
            client.Authenticate("your@email.com", "yourpassword");
            client.Send(message);
            client.Disconnect(true);
        }
    }
}
Imports MailKit.Net.Smtp
Imports MimeKit
Public Class EmailService
	Public Sub SendEmail(ByVal recipientAddress As String, ByVal subject As String, ByVal body As String)
		Dim message = New MimeMessage()
		message.From.Add(New MailboxAddress("Your Name", "your@email.com"))
		message.To.Add(New MailboxAddress("", recipientAddress))
		message.Subject = subject
		message.Body = New TextPart("plain") With {.Text = body}
		Using client = New SmtpClient()
			client.Connect("smtp.server.com", 587, False)
			client.Authenticate("your@email.com", "yourpassword")
			client.Send(message)
			client.Disconnect(True)
		End Using
	End Sub
End Class
VB   C#

Setting Up SMTP and IMAP Servers

Configuring SMTP Server for Sending Emails

To send emails using MailKit, you need to configure an SMTP server. The SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) server is responsible for sending your emails to the intended recipients.

Here's a guide to setting up an SMTP server in your application:

  1. Choose an SMTP Service: You can use popular email services like Gmail, Outlook, or any other that provides SMTP support.
  2. SMTP Server Details: Obtain the SMTP server address, port number, and the necessary authentication details (username and password) for your chosen email service.

Example: SMTP Configuration for Gmail

Here's an example of configuring an SMTP client to send emails using Gmail's SMTP server:

using (var smtpClient = new SmtpClient())
{
    smtpClient.Connect("smtp.gmail.com", 587, MailKit.Security.SecureSocketOptions.StartTls);
    smtpClient.Authenticate("yourgmail@gmail.com", "yourpassword");
    // Send your message here
    smtpClient.Disconnect(true);
}
using (var smtpClient = new SmtpClient())
{
    smtpClient.Connect("smtp.gmail.com", 587, MailKit.Security.SecureSocketOptions.StartTls);
    smtpClient.Authenticate("yourgmail@gmail.com", "yourpassword");
    // Send your message here
    smtpClient.Disconnect(true);
}
Using smtpClient As New SmtpClient()
	smtpClient.Connect("smtp.gmail.com", 587, MailKit.Security.SecureSocketOptions.StartTls)
	smtpClient.Authenticate("yourgmail@gmail.com", "yourpassword")
	' Send your message here
	smtpClient.Disconnect(True)
End Using
VB   C#

Setting Up IMAP Server for Receiving Emails

To receive and read emails, configure an IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) server. IMAP allows you to access and manage your emails directly on the email server, making it a popular choice for email clients.

Connecting to an IMAP Server

To connect to an IMAP server, you'll need the server address, port number, and account credentials. Here’s a basic connection setup:

using (var imapClient = new ImapClient())
{
    imapClient.Connect("imap.gmail.com", 993, true);
    imapClient.Authenticate("yourgmail@gmail.com", "yourpassword");
    // Access and manage your inbox here
    imapClient.Disconnect(true);
}
using (var imapClient = new ImapClient())
{
    imapClient.Connect("imap.gmail.com", 993, true);
    imapClient.Authenticate("yourgmail@gmail.com", "yourpassword");
    // Access and manage your inbox here
    imapClient.Disconnect(true);
}
Using imapClient As New ImapClient()
	imapClient.Connect("imap.gmail.com", 993, True)
	imapClient.Authenticate("yourgmail@gmail.com", "yourpassword")
	' Access and manage your inbox here
	imapClient.Disconnect(True)
End Using
VB   C#

Advanced Email Handling and Building a Complete Email Application

Integrating Advanced MailKit Features

Once you've set up the basic functionalities for sending and receiving emails with MailKit, it's time to explore its advanced capabilities.

These include handling HTML emails, using HTML email templates, attaching files, and implementing client-side sorting and searching within the email inbox.

var message = new MimeMessage();
message.From.Add(new MailboxAddress("Your Name", "your@email.com"));
message.To.Add(new MailboxAddress("", "recipient@email.com"));
message.Subject = "Your Subject Here";
var builder = new BodyBuilder
{
    HtmlBody = @"<html><body><h1>Hello, World!</h1></body></html>"
};
message.Body = builder.ToMessageBody();
var message = new MimeMessage();
message.From.Add(new MailboxAddress("Your Name", "your@email.com"));
message.To.Add(new MailboxAddress("", "recipient@email.com"));
message.Subject = "Your Subject Here";
var builder = new BodyBuilder
{
    HtmlBody = @"<html><body><h1>Hello, World!</h1></body></html>"
};
message.Body = builder.ToMessageBody();
Dim message = New MimeMessage()
message.From.Add(New MailboxAddress("Your Name", "your@email.com"))
message.To.Add(New MailboxAddress("", "recipient@email.com"))
message.Subject = "Your Subject Here"
Dim builder = New BodyBuilder With {.HtmlBody = "<html><body><h1>Hello, World!</h1></body></html>"}
message.Body = builder.ToMessageBody()
VB   C#

Implementing HTML Templates

You can also use HTML templates for email content, allowing for more dynamic and visually appealing emails. These templates can be loaded from external files or embedded resources, providing flexibility in how you manage email content.

Install IronPDF Library

C# NuGet Library for PDF

Install with NuGet

Install-Package IronPdf
nuget.org/packages/IronPdf/
or
C# PDF DLL

Download DLL

Download DLL

Manually install into your project

Install Using NuGet Package Manager

To Integrate IronPDF into your MailKit C# project using the NuGet Package manager, follow these steps:

  1. Open Visual Studio and in the solution explorer, right click on your project.
  2. Choose “Manage NuGet packages…” from the context menu.
  3. Go to the browse tab and search IronPDF.
  4. Select IronPDF library from the search results and click install button.
  5. Accept any license agreement prompt.

If you want to include IronPDF in your project via Package manager console, then execute the following command in Package Manager Console:

Install-Package IronPdf

It’ll fetch and install IronPDF into your project.

Install Using NuGet Website

For a detailed overview of IronPDF, including its features, compatibility, and additional download options, visit the IronPDF page on the NuGet website at https://www.nuget.org/packages/IronPdf.

Install Via DLL Alternatively, you can incorporate IronPDF directly into your project using its dll file. Download the ZIP file containing the DLL from this link. Unzip it, and include the DLL in your project.

Building a Complete Email Application

With the basics and advanced features covered, you can now focus on building a complete email application using MailKit. This involves:

  1. Creating a User Interface: Develop a user-friendly interface for your email client, allowing users to compose, send, receive, and read emails.
  2. Incorporating MailKit Features: Integrate the full range of MailKit's functionalities into your application. This includes setting up SMTP and IMAP servers, handling different content types, and managing emails.

  3. Adding IronPDF for Email to PDF Conversion: Enhance your application by integrating IronPDF. This allows users to convert received emails, especially those in HTML format, into PDF documents. Here's a basic implementation:

    var renderer = new IronPdf.ChromePdfRenderer();
    var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hey, Chandler!</h1></body></html>");
    pdf.SaveAs("EmailContent.pdf");
    var renderer = new IronPdf.ChromePdfRenderer();
    var pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hey, Chandler!</h1></body></html>");
    pdf.SaveAs("EmailContent.pdf");
    Dim renderer = New IronPdf.ChromePdfRenderer()
	Dim pdf = renderer.RenderHtmlAsPdf("<html><body><h1>Hey, Chandler!</h1></body></html>")
	pdf.SaveAs("EmailContent.pdf")
    VB   C#
  4. User Interactions and Feedback: Implement features for user interactions, like buttons for sending emails, viewing the inbox, and converting emails to PDF. Provide feedback and handle exceptions to ensure a smooth user experience.
  5. Testing and Deployment: Thoroughly test your email application to ensure all functionalities work as expected. Deploy the application for users to install and use on their devices.

Conclusion

Mailkit C# (How it Works For Developers): Figure 3

By integrating MailKit and IronPDF, you've created a versatile email client capable of handling a variety of email-related tasks, including converting emails to PDFs. This application not only serves as a powerful tool for email communication but also demonstrates the practical application of these libraries in a real-world scenario.

For those looking to integrate PDF functionalities into their C# applications, IronPDF offers a free trial start from $749, providing a comprehensive solution for all your PDF processing needs in C#.