DotNetNuke (DNN) is a solid as well as flexible system that is built on the ASP.NET frames of Microsoft. It includes various amenities for website applications that are in development, it manages and is deployed to. The site web an essential of any online application is the ability to send letters. In DNN, this can be achieved using the DotNetNuke.Services.Mail.Mail.SendMail method. This paper will take a deep dive into the aspects of how to send emails in DotNetNuke using this method, providing a comprehensive guide for developers to follow.

Developers are only the ones who are allowed freely to utilize the built-in library to get the SMTP settings set up and then send a whole lot of very fast emails with attachments. This feature gives them a good benefit by which they can send emails with very little code in their DNN extension by setting the properties for that on a Host or a Portal level.

Configuring SMTP Settings in DotNetNuke

Application of SMTP settings in DNN is the first step of sending email. According to these settings an email server will be used by DNN to send emails.

1. Login to your DNN portal as a host or administrator.
2. Navigate to the Host Settings: Go to the Host menu and select Host Settings.
3. Locate the SMTP Server Settings: In the Advanced Settings section, find the SMTP Server Settings.
4. Configure the SMTP Server: SMTP Server and Port: Enter the SMTP server address and port number. SMTP Authentication: Choose the authentication method (None, Basic, or NTLM). The SMTP Username and Password: Enter the credentials if required by your SMTP server. Enable SSL: Check this option if your SMTP server requires SSL.
5. SMTP Server and Port: Enter the SMTP server address and port number.
6. SMTP Authentication: Choose the authentication method (None, Basic, or NTLM).
7. SMTP Username and Password: Enter the credentials if required by your SMTP server.
8. Enable SSL: Check this option if your SMTP server requires SSL.
9. Test the SMTP Configuration: Click the Test SMTP Settings button to ensure that your settings are correct. DNN will send a test email to verify the configuration.

Using SendMail Method

Having completed the SMTP settings configuration, you are good to go by using the SendMail approach to send emails programmatically. Being a member of the DotNetNuke.Services.Mail namespace, this method allows users to send emails via a web interface.

Basic Usage

Here's a basic example of how to use the SendMail method:

using DotNetNuke.Services.Mail;

public void SendEmail(string fromAddress, string toAddress, string subject, string body)
{
    string mailFrom = fromAddress;
    string mailTo = toAddress;
    string mailSubject = subject;
    string mailBody = body;
    string mailPriority = "Normal";
    MailFormat mailFormat = MailFormat.Html;
    Encoding mailEncoding = Encoding.UTF8;

    // Send the email
    Mail.SendMail(mailFrom, mailTo, "", "", MailPriority.Normal, mailSubject, mailFormat, mailEncoding, mailBody, "", "", "", "");
}
 

In this example:

• mailFrom is the sender's email address.
• mailTo is the recipient's email address.
• mailSubject is the subject of the email.
• mailBody is the body of the email.
• mailPriority sets the priority of the email (Normal, Low, High).
• mailFormat specifies whether the email body is in HTML or plain text.
• mailEncoding sets the encoding for the email body.

Advanced Usage

For more advanced scenarios, you might need to customize additional parameters. The SendMail method has several overloads to accommodate different requirements.

Sending Emails with Attachments

To send an email with attachments, you need to specify the file paths of the attachments:

using DotNetNuke.Services.Mail;

public void SendEmailWithAttachment(string fromAddress, string toAddress, string subject, string body, string attachmentPath)
{
    string mailFrom = fromAddress;
    string mailTo = toAddress;
    string mailSubject = subject;
    string mailBody = body;
    string mailPriority = "Normal";
    MailFormat mailFormat = MailFormat.Html;
    Encoding mailEncoding = Encoding.UTF8;

    // Specify the attachment path
    string attachments = attachmentPath;

    // Send the email with attachment
    Mail.SendMail(mailFrom, mailTo, "", "", MailPriority.Normal, mailSubject, mailFormat, mailEncoding, mailBody, "", "", attachments, "");
}

Sending Emails to Multiple Recipients

You can also send emails to multiple recipients by specifying a comma-separated list of email addresses:

using DotNetNuke.Services.Mail;

public void SendEmailToMultipleRecipients(string fromAddress, string toAddresses, string subject, string body)
{
    string mailFrom = fromAddress;
    string mailTo = toAddresses; // Comma-separated list of email addresses
    string mailSubject = subject;
    string mailBody = body;
    string mailPriority = "Normal";
    MailFormat mailFormat = MailFormat.Html;
    Encoding mailEncoding = Encoding.UTF8;

    // Send the email to multiple recipients
    Mail.SendMail(mailFrom, mailTo, "", "", MailPriority.Normal, mailSubject, mailFormat, mailEncoding, mailBody, "", "", "", "");
}
Error Handling

Handling errors is crucial when you're sending emails. The SendMail method gives back a string that shows how the email sent went. You could look at this to figure out if your email made it through okay:

using DotNetNuke.Services.Mail;

public string SendEmailWithStatus(string fromAddress, string toAddress, string subject, string body)
{
    string mailFrom = fromAddress;
    string mailTo = toAddress;
    string mailSubject = subject;
    string mailBody = body;
    string mailPriority = "Normal";
    MailFormat mailFormat = MailFormat.Html;
    Encoding mailEncoding = Encoding.UTF8;

    // Send the email and get the status
    string status = Mail.SendMail(mailFrom, mailTo, "", "", MailPriority.Normal, mailSubject, mailFormat, mailEncoding, mailBody, "", "", "", "");

    // Check the status
    if (status == "SUCCESS")
    {
        // Email sent successfully
        return "Email sent successfully.";
    }
    else
    {
        // Handle the error
        return $"Error sending email: {status}";
    }
}

In this case, the status variable will hold "SUCCESS" if the email goes through without a hitch. If not, it'll have an error message that points out what didn't work.

Practical Example: Contact Form

To illustrate the usage of SendMail, let's create a simple contact form module in DNN. This form will collect user input and send it via email.

Create the Contact Form

<%@ Control Language="C#" AutoEventWireup="true" CodeBehind="ContactForm.ascx.cs" Inherits="YourNamespace.ContactForm" %>

<asp:TextBox ID="txtName" runat="server" Placeholder="Your Name"></asp:TextBox>
<asp:TextBox ID="txtEmail" runat="server" Placeholder="Your Email"></asp:TextBox>
<asp:TextBox ID="txtMessage" runat="server" TextMode="MultiLine" Placeholder="Your Message"></asp:TextBox>
<asp:Button ID="btnSubmit" runat="server" Text="Send" OnClick="btnSubmit_Click" />
<asp:Label ID="lblStatus" runat="server" Visible="false"></asp:Label>
 

Handle the Form Submission

In the code-behind file (ASCX.CS), handle the form submission and send the email:

using System;
using DotNetNuke.Services.Mail;

namespace YourNamespace
{
    public partial class ContactForm : System.Web.UI.UserControl
    {
        protected void btnSubmit_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            string name = txtName.Text.Trim();
            string email = txtEmail.Text.Trim();
            string message = txtMessage.Text.Trim();

            if (string.IsNullOrEmpty(name) || string.IsNullOrEmpty(email) || string.IsNullOrEmpty(message))
            {
                lblStatus.Text = "Please fill in all fields.";
                lblStatus.Visible = true;
                return;
            }

            string subject = "New Contact Form Submission";
            string body = $"Name: {name}<br />Email: {email}<br />Message:<br />{message}";

            string status = Mail.SendMail(email, "admin@yourdomain.com", "", "", MailPriority.Normal, subject, MailFormat.Html, System.Text.Encoding.UTF8, body, "", "", "", "");

            if (status == "SUCCESS")
            {
                lblStatus.Text = "Thank you for your message. We will get back to you soon.";
            }
            else
            {
                lblStatus.Text = $"Error sending message: {status}";
            }

            lblStatus.Visible = true;
        }
    }
}
 

Explanation

• Collecting User Input: The form collects the user's name, email, and message.
• Validation: The input fields are validated to ensure they are not empty.
• Composing the Email: The email subject and body are constructed using the user input.
• Sending the Email: The SendMail method is called to send the email to the specified recipient.
• Handling the Status: The Email sent status and message to the users.

Why Developer Should use SendMail of DotNetNuke only?

1. Seamless Integration with DNN:

SendMail is specially designed for DotNetNuke, ensuring seamless integration with the platform and its modules. It leverages DNN’s internal mechanisms and configurations, decreasing the want for extra setup and code.

2. Utilizes Configured SMTP Settings:

SendMail automatically makes use of the SMTP settings configured on the Host or Portal level in DNN. This gets rid of the want for redundant configuration and ensures steady e-mail sending parameters throughout the software.

3. Built-in Security:

SendMail inherits the security configurations from DNN, together with authentication and encryption settings, making it a steady preference for sending emails without additional safety implementations.

4. Error Handling and Logging:

DNN’s SendMail gives integrated error coping with and logging competencies, which help developers to debug and screen electronic mail sending processes greater effectively inside the DNN framework.

5. Simplicity and Minimal Code:

Using SendMail reduces the amount of boilerplate code needed to installation and ship emails. This makes the codebase cleanser and less complicated to preserve, specifically for builders already acquainted with DNN.

6. Consistency Across Modules:

Using SendMail, builders ensure a regular approach to e-mail sending across one-of-a-kind modules and extensions in the same DNN set up, main to greater uniform conduct and less complicated protection.

7. Support for Bulk Email:

SendMail is optimized for sending bulk emails, leveraging DNN’s infrastructure to handle huge volumes successfully, that's greater bulky to put into effect with SmtpClient or MailKit.

8. Attachment Handling:

SendMail presents a trustworthy guide for attachments, making it less complicated to encompass documents in emails without extra setup or complex code.

9. Community and Documentation:

As a part of the DNN surroundings, SendMail is properly documented and supported by way of the DNN network. Developers can locate ample resources, examples, and community help for any problems they may encounter.

10. Maintenance and Updates:

Using SendMail ensures that the e-mail functionality benefits from updates and improvements made to the DNN platform. This approach that developers can depend on ongoing maintenance and enhancements while not having to manipulate updates for 0.33-birthday party libraries one by one.