Java Mail API

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Java Mail API

• Sending and Receiving Emails

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Mail API

• Java Mail API is an easy and standard way of
  sending and receiving emails
• Java Mail API supports following Protocols
• SMTP
• POP
• IMAP
• MIME

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SMTP

• Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
• Usually used for sending emails from clients
• Also used for relaying emails from one server to
  another

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POP

• Post office protocol
• Currently Version 3 in use (Pop3 RFC1939)
• Used at client side to check the emails that are
  received in the mailbox for a user

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IMAP

• Stands for Internet Message Access Protocol
• Currently IMAP4 (RFC2060) in use
• More advanced protocol for email access that
  allows multiple folder management on server,
  periodic backups and several other advanced
  features.

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MIME

• Multi-purpose Internet Mail Extention
• Defines the contents that are to be transferred
  in an email

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What do you need to use Java Mail?

• You should have following two APIs
• Java Mail API
• JavaBeans Activation Framework

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Mail API

• As the name says, is used for sending and
  receiving emails.
• Mail API requires JavaBeans Activation Framework

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JAF

• JavaBeans Activation Framework
• Helps programmers to Determine the type of an
  arbitrary piece of data
• Encapsulates access to it
• Discovers operations that can be performed on it

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Where to get?

• Both APIs can be downloaded from
  http//java.sun.com
• Also placed on \\shares\teachers\basit\shared
  docs\aip\APIs

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How to Install?

• Un-zip the javamail.zip and jaf.zip into some
  folder
• Put mail.jar from javamail folder to the
  classpath
• Put activation.jar from jaf folder to classpath

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Java Mail classes

• You must know following classes before you start
• Session
• Message
• Address
• Transport
• Store
• Folder

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javax.mail.Session

• Defines a basic mail session
• Everything in mail api works due to this session

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javax.mail.Message

• Represents an email message that is either
  created to be sent to the recipient or is
  received from someone.
• Message is an Abstract class
• MimeMessage is the sub-class of message that
  understands most MIME types and is most commonly
  used for email handling

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javax.mail.Address

• Represents an email addres
• Address is an abstract class
• javax.mail.Internet.InternetAddress is the
  sub-class of Address

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Transport

• This class speaks the protocol specific language
  to send messages. (Usually SMTP)

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Store and Folder

• When receiving email
• We create a session
• Connect to a store with our username and password
• Get specific folders (usually inbox)
• And start receiving Message objects

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Sending an Email

• //Create properties object
• Properties p System.getProperties()
• p.put("mail.smtp.host", "202.125.140.71")
• // Get session
• Session s Session.getDefaultInstance(p,null)

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Sending an Email (cont)

• Message m new MimeMessage(s)
• InternetAddress to new InternetAddress("basit_at_uc
  p.edu.pk")
• InternetAddress from new InternetAddress("bill_g
  ates_at_microsoft.com", "Bill Gates")
• m.setContent("yeah this is the body",
  "text/plain")
• m.setFrom(from)
• m.setRecipient(Message.RecipientType.TO, to)
• m.setSubject("de subject")
• Transport.send(m)

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Checking Mails

• Properties props new Properties()
• Session session Session.getDefaultInstance(props
  , null)
• Store store session.getStore("pop3")
• store.connect(host, username, password)
• Folder folder store.getFolder("INBOX")
• folder.open(Folder.READ_ONLY)

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• Message message folder.getMessages()
• for (int i0, nmessage.length iltn i)
• System.out.println(i " "
  messagei.getFrom()0 "\t\t"
  messagei.getSubject())
• folder.close(false)
• store.close()

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Output

• 0 Syed Basit ltbasit_at_ucp.edu.pkgt test 1
• 1 basit_at_cnn.com de subject
• 2 basit_at_microsoft.com de subject
• 3 basit_at_dell.com de subject
• 4 basit_at_hell.com de subject
• 5 Bill Gates ltbill_gates_at_microsoft.comgt de
  subject

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Lets Try it out!!!