Ken Dibble wrote on 2014-09-22: > Hi Folks, > > I'm looking to implement a native email-sending feature in my framework. I > know this is a can of worms and it seems clear that there is no > one-size-fits-all solution (as explained in Mike Copeland's October 2013 > post here). That being the case, how can I bullet-proof it as much as possible? > > "Native" means I am trying to avoid use of third-party software as much as > possible. I'm working off Ken Sand's "Send SMTP Email" code on the Fox Wiki > (http://fox.wikis.com/wc.dll?Wiki~SendSmtpEmail#vfpsmtpken). This code > requires nothing except WinSock, which, I assume, is always available in > Windows. (It refers to a custom Base64 dll but I can use VFP STRCONV() for > that.) > > This code works for me with my internal email server, which doesn't require > anything complicated in terms of authentication. > > However, I can't get it to work with my external email provider, probably > because I don't understand how to implement the many permutations of the > SMTP AUTH command. Nor will the provider accept a TELNET connection so I > can experiment. I am wary of attempting various AUTH schemes and having the > provider disable my account as a result. In any case, users elsewhere are > not likely to use my email provider, so getting it to work with them isn't > going to move me forward very much. > > So what are my options for an as-native-as-possible solution? > > Is there better VFP-native SMTP sending code out there? > > If not, has anyone come up with a suite of possible AUTH sequences that I > could integrate into this code, based on some kind of switching value? If > so, would you be willing to share it? And if so, what would that switching > value be? > > Barring that, is there something I can specify for end-users to indicate > the likelihood (or lack thereof), that this feature can be made to work for > them? In other words, what does an end-user need to know about the > authorization requirements of an SMTP server that will comply with the very > basic capabilities of this code? > > Thanks for any help. > > Ken Dibble > www.stic-cil.org >
Ken, Since the WinSock COM control does not have the ability to handle SSL and TLS connectivity, many external SMTP servers will not work. Most email providers are requiring an SSL or TLS connection these days. Without one of these, the username and password are sent in plain text. You're only native option would be to use the win32 dll calls directly. Why reinvent the wheel? I use a commercial product that has been very affordable. One DLL 500KB, registered. http://www.codestone.co.uk/software/docs/csmail/csmail.html At $120 US with royalty free distribution, it's hard to pass up. I have had 3 problems in the many years I've been using the product and they have resolved it within a week. They do require some text to be entered in the registry to enable the control to be used in a runtime environment. It has been many years, they sent me an EXE to do it. Once I discovered what entries were being made, I added them to my INNO script. Good luck with your endeavor, Tracy Tracy Pearson PowerChurch Software _______________________________________________ Post Messages to: [email protected] Subscription Maintenance: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox OT-free version of this list: http://mail.leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech Searchable Archive: http://leafe.com/archives/search/profox This message: http://leafe.com/archives/byMID/profox/[email protected] ** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
