Stand alone email client for pop3 email

[luckyluk]

Hi folks. I have been searching for a starting point on trying to figure out how to write my own simple email client for both sending and receiving email through internet pop3 email accounts.

From what I can see so far, MAPI is not going to help me as it requires Echange and or Outlook or something like that. I am not looking to depend on or interact with any other email program. I am basically trying to write my own.

I have been using VB and QB and GWB for years, but I have never wrote anything that involved the internet. They have all be pretty simple programs. I have also been webmastering for a few years now, but once again it has been pretty simple stuff. Mostly just HTML, some CSS, JavaScript, PHP. But, nothing very complicated or hard.

I am hoping that someone can help me figure out how to write VB6 code to both send and receive email through a email (pop3) account. I am not going to guarantee that I am using the correct terminology when I say POP3, so here it is in a nutshell. Assuming that I already have an internet connection, I want to be able to login to an email account that I create with my hosting service using my username and password. Of course, I would also know the incoming mail server address (typically mail.mydomain.com) and my outgoing mail server address (typically smtp.myisp.com).

If you can tell me how to do this, it would be great. If not, if you know where I could find this information, that would be great too.

Thanks,
Luke

[imz]

Here is a class you can use to send email from VB. I wrote it years ago, but have seen a few requests for info on emailing.
Here is an example of how to use the class

Edit: Before using the class you'll have to add a refernce to MSWINSCK.OCX
Goto Project\References Browse to system32\MSWINSOCK.OCX

visual basic code:Option Explicit

Private WithEvents SMTP As clsSMTP

Private Sub Command1_Click()

With SMTP
'who is the email from?
.Sender = "YoMama"
'who is it going to?
.Recipient = "whomever@whereever.net"
'your SMTP server
.SMTPhost = "smtp.myserver.com"
'optional subject line
.Subject = "SMTP test"
'make connection to the server
.OpenMail
'did connection succeed?
If Not .Connected Then Exit Sub
'you can send as many lines as you want here
.Send "Bill,"
.Send "This is a test of your wonderful SMTP client!"
'make sure you close or nothing will get sent
.CloseMail
End With

End Sub

Private Sub Form_Load()
Set SMTP = New clsSMTP
End Sub


Private Sub SMTP_Error(Code As Integer, Message As String)
Debug.Print "SMTP Error "; Code, Message
End Sub

Private Sub SMTP_ServerResponse(Reply As Integer, Message As String)
Debug.Print Reply, Message
End Sub


Pretty simple, Now here is the class

visual basic code:Option Explicit

Private mvarConnected As Boolean
Private mvarRecipient As String
Private mvarSender As String
Private mvarSMTPhost As String
Private mvarSubject As String

Private WithEvents Winsock As MSWinsockLib.Winsock

Const OK = 250
Const Connection = 220
Const ReadyforData = 354
Const UserUnknown = 550

Dim Reply As Integer
Dim Message As String
Dim MyName As String
Dim ErrMSg As String

Event Error(Code As Integer, Message As String)
Event ServerResponse(Reply As Integer, Message As String)

Private Function WaitFor(R As Integer) As Boolean
Dim A
A = Timer + 3
While Not Reply = R And A > Timer
DoEvents
Wend
If A < Timer Then
WaitFor = True
Else
WaitFor = False
End If
Reply = 0
End Function

Public Property Let Subject(ByVal vData As String)
mvarSubject = vData
End Property

Public Property Get Subject() As String
Subject = mvarSubject
End Property

Public Property Let SMTPhost(ByVal vData As String)
mvarSMTPhost = vData
End Property

Public Property Get SMTPhost() As String
SMTPhost = mvarSMTPhost
End Property

Public Sub Send(Message As String)
Winsock.SendData Message & vbCrLf
End Sub

Public Property Let Sender(ByVal vData As String)
mvarSender = vData
End Property

Public Property Get Sender() As String
Sender = mvarSender
End Property

Public Property Let Recipient(ByVal vData As String)
mvarRecipient = vData
End Property

Public Property Get Recipient() As String
Recipient = mvarRecipient
End Property

Public Property Get Connected() As Boolean
Connected = mvarConnected
End Property

Public Sub OpenMail()
Reply = 0
'connect to SMTP server
Winsock.Connect mvarSMTPhost, 25
If WaitFor(Connection) Then
GiveError
Exit Sub
End If
'send hello and wait for OK
Winsock.SendData "helo " & mvarSMTPhost & vbCrLf
If WaitFor(OK) Then
GiveError
Winsock.Close
Exit Sub
End If
'send sender's name
MyName = WhoAmI
If InStr(mvarSender, "@") = 0 Then
Winsock.SendData "Mail From:<" & mvarSender & "@" & MyName & ">" & vbCrLf
Else
Winsock.SendData "Mail From:<" & mvarSender & ">" & vbCrLf
End If
If WaitFor(OK) Then
GiveError
Winsock.Close
Exit Sub
End If
'send recipient
Winsock.SendData "RCPT TO:<" & mvarRecipient & ">" & vbCrLf
If WaitFor(OK) Then
GiveError
Winsock.Close
Exit Sub
End If
'make ready for data
Winsock.SendData "Data" & vbCrLf
If WaitFor(ReadyforData) Then
GiveError
Winsock.Close
Exit Sub
End If
'Send Date:
Winsock.SendData "Date: " & Format(Date, " dd mmm yy ") & Time & vbCrLf
'To:
Winsock.SendData "TO:<" & mvarRecipient & ">" & vbCrLf
'From:
Winsock.SendData "From: <" & mvarSender & "@" & MyName & ">" & vbCrLf
'Subject:
If Not mvarSubject = "" Then Winsock.SendData "Subject:" & mvarSubject & vbCrLf
mvarConnected = True
End Sub

Private Function WhoAmI() As String
Dim X As Integer, Y As Integer
X = InStr(Message, "Hello")
Y = InStr(Message, "[")
If X = 0 Or Y = 0 Then
WhoAmI = Winsock.LocalIP
Else
X = X + 6
Y = Y - 1 - X
WhoAmI = Mid$(Message, X, Y)
End If
End Function

Public Sub CloseMail()
Winsock.SendData "." & vbCrLf
If WaitFor(OK) Then
GiveError
Exit Sub
End If
Winsock.SendData "QUIT"
Winsock.Close
End Sub

Private Sub GiveError()
Dim Message As String
Select Case Reply
Case Is = 10061
Message = "Can't Connect to " & mvarSMTPhost
Case Is = 11001
Message = mvarSMTPhost & " is not a valid name or address."
Case Is = 550
Message = "User " & mvarRecipient & " not known to server."
Case Is = 0
Message = "Timeout waiting for server response"
Case Is = 500
Message = "Server does not recognize a command sent."
Case Is = 553
Message = "Invalid recipient name"
Case Is = 1
Message = "You must set Host, Recipient and Sender before connecting"
Case Else
Message = "Mail tool error."
End Select

RaiseEvent Error(Reply, Message)
End Sub

Private Sub Class_Initialize()
Set Winsock = New MSWinsockLib.Winsock
End Sub

Private Sub Winsock_DataArrival(ByVal bytesTotal As Long)
Dim X As String
Winsock.GetData X
Reply = Val(X)
X = Trim$(Mid(X, 4))
RaiseEvent ServerResponse(Reply, X)
Message = X
End Sub

Private Sub Winsock_Error(ByVal Number As Integer, Description As String, _
ByVal Scode As Long, ByVal Source As String, _
ByVal HelpFile As String, ByVal HelpContext As Long, _
CancelDisplay As Boolean)
Reply = Number
End Sub

PS iam not this clever...
goto http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...t=email+client

and search for email clients